St. Helens, OR Live Doppler Radar

Live radar for St. Helens, Columbia County: every NWS radar combined, rain, snow and ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks and official warnings.

Open live radar for St. Helens What TALON shows

What weather hits St. Helens?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 12 days in the Lower Columbia River forecast zone and Columbia County — the most common reported hazard around St. Helens, mostly in December and January. Next come heavy snow & winter storms (1 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	12	Jan 2022	Dec 9, 2015 · 1 death · $2.3 million damage
Heavy snow & winter storms	1	Feb 2025	—

Source: NOAA NCEI Storm Events Database, 1996–2026 (the latest year is partial). A "day" is a date with at least one report in the Lower Columbia River forecast zone and Columbia County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

How much snow does St. Helens get?

A normal year brings about 3.0 inches of snow to St. Helens, based on NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Merwin Dam weather station 14 miles away. The snowiest month is usually January (1.6 in).

Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
0.0	0.0	0.3	1.6	0.9	0.2	0.0	0.0

Normal snowfall in inches. TALON Pro compares this season's snow at your location with these normals as winter goes on.

Which radars cover St. Helens?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KRTX (Portland, OR), about 12 miles southwest. Radar beams climb as they travel, so the height of the lowest scan over town decides how low in a storm the radar can see.

Radar	Distance	Lowest beam over St. Helens	View
KRTX Portland, OR	12 mi southwest	600 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KLGX Langley Hill, WA	107 mi northwest	10,600 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms
KATX Seattle/Tacoma, WA	162 mi north	20,700 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms

Beam height is the center of the 0.5° scan above the radar, with standard refraction. Mountains near a radar can block it further.

Tornado & hail history near St. Helens

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 26 tornadoes within 25 miles of St. Helens, 1 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in October and September. The strongest was an F3 on April 5, 1972, which passed about 20 miles south-southeast of town and caused 6 deaths. The most recent was an EF0 on October 28, 2024, which touched down about 20 miles north-northwest of town.

Hail: 8 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.50-inch hail on July 31, 1991.

Source: NOAA Storm Prediction Center — tornadoes 1950–2025, hail 1955–2025. Distances are to each tornado's track; ratings before February 2007 use the original Fujita scale.

On TALON you get St. Helens's live radar loop, rain/snow/ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks with arrival times and NWS warnings free; close-up radar and rotation detection are part of TALON Pro.

St. Helens radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to St. Helens, OR?

KRTX (Portland, OR), about 12 miles southwest. KLGX (Langley Hill, WA) is 107 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does St. Helens flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 12 days in the Lower Columbia River forecast zone and Columbia County; the deadliest was on December 9, 2015, with 1 death. TALON's free flash-flood risk layer shows, every 2 minutes, how close the rain that has fallen is to what it takes to flood — turn it on under Layers.

Is TALON's radar for St. Helens free?

Yes — the US radar loop, rain/snow/ice colors, flash-flood risk, storm tracks and NWS warnings are free in any browser. Close-up radar, rotation detection and longer forecasts are part of TALON Pro.

Should I rely on radar for my safety?

No app replaces official warnings. When the National Weather Service issues a warning for St. Helens, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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