Houston, TX Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Houston What TALON shows

Which radars cover Houston?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar to Houston, TX is KHGX (Houston), about 26 miles to the southeast. 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 Houston	View of low-level rotation
KHGX Houston, TX	26 mi southeast	1,600 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan is close to the ground, where tornadoes form
KLCH Lake Charles, LA	131 mi east-northeast	14,700 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms
KGRK Central Texas, TX	137 mi west-northwest	15,800 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 Houston'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 Houston

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 300 tornadoes within 25 miles of Houston, 50 of them rated EF2/F2 or stronger. They have been most common in May and August. The strongest was an F4 on November 21, 1992, which passed about 6 miles east-southeast of the city. The most recent was an EF1 on November 24, 2025, which touched down about 22 miles west-northwest of the city.

Hail: 383 reports of hail 1 inch or larger within 25 miles of Houston since 1955, 36 of them 2 inches or larger. The largest was 3.00-inch hail (teacup size) on May 4, 2006.

Tornadoes since 1950	300
EF2/F2 or stronger	50
Strongest tornado	F4 · Nov 1992
Busiest tornado month	May
Largest hail	3.00 in · May 2006

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.

Houston radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Houston?

KHGX near Houston, TX, about 26 miles away. A second radar, KLCH (Lake Charles), is 131 miles away and also covers the area.

Can radar see a tornado over Houston?

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 Houston the lowest scan from KHGX is roughly 1,600 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 Houston?

NOAA records show 300 tornadoes within 25 miles of Houston since 1950 — about 3.9 a year on average, most often in May and August. Most were weak, but 50 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 Houston, take shelter right away — see watch vs. warning.