Omaha, NE Live Doppler Radar

Watch storms move over Omaha in real time — every NWS radar combined, storm tracks, official warnings, and the closest radar's full 250 m detail.

Open live radar for Omaha What TALON shows

Which radars cover Omaha?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to Omaha, NE is KOAX (Omaha), about 23 miles to the west. Radar beams climb as they travel because the Earth curves away underneath them, so the height of the lowest scan over a city decides how much of a storm's base the radar can see.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over Omaha	View of low-level rotation
KOAX Omaha, NE	23 mi west	1,300 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form
KDMX Des Moines, IA	119 mi east-northeast	12,600 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms
KUEX Hastings, NE	146 mi west-southwest	17,400 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms

Beam height is the center of the 0.5° scan above the radar, using standard atmospheric refraction. Hills and buildings near the radar can block it further.

On TALON you get Omaha's live radar loop, storm tracks with arrival times and NWS warnings free; close-up radar and rotation detection are part of TALON Pro.

Tornado & hail history near Omaha

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 128 tornadoes within 25 miles of Omaha, 35 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in June and May. The strongest was an F4 on May 6, 1975, which passed about 5 miles west-northwest of the city and caused 3 deaths. The most recent was an EF3 on April 17, 2025, which passed about 11 miles north-northwest of the city.

Hail: 892 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of Omaha since 1955, 126 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 4.50-inch hail (grapefruit size) on June 25, 2024.

Tornadoes since 1950	128
EF2/F2 or stronger	35
Strongest tornado	F4 · May 1975
Busiest tornado month	June
Largest hail	4.50 in · Jun 2024

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center severe weather database — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025 (the latest year is preliminary). Distances are to each tornado's recorded track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita (F) scale.

Omaha radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Omaha?

KOAX near Omaha, NE, about 23 miles away. A second radar, KDMX (Des Moines), is 119 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over Omaha?

Radar can't see the tornado itself, but it can see the rotating storm and, once a tornado is lofting debris, a debris signature. Over Omaha the lowest scan from KOAX is roughly 1,300 ft up. Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form. TALON combines that with NOAA's ProbSevere model to flag storms most likely to produce tornadoes.

How often do tornadoes hit Omaha?

NOAA records show 128 tornadoes within 25 miles of Omaha since 1950 — about 1.7 a year on average, most often in June and May. Most were weak, but 35 were EF2/F2 or stronger.

Should I rely on radar for my safety?

No app replaces official warnings. When the National Weather Service issues a tornado warning for Omaha, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.