Cougar, WA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Cougar What TALON shows

What weather hits Cougar?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 21 days in the South Washington Cascade Foothills forecast zone and Cowlitz County — the most common reported hazard around Cougar, mostly in January and December. Next come damaging thunderstorm winds (3 days) and debris flows (2 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	21	Dec 2023	Sep 17, 2020 · $250 million damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	3	Jan 2021	—
Debris flows	2	Apr 2023	Apr 10, 2023 · $100,000 damage
Lightning casualties & damage	1	Sep 2019	—

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 South Washington Cascade Foothills forecast zone and Cowlitz County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

How much snow does Cougar get?

A normal year brings about 16 inches of snow to Cougar, based on NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Cougar 6 E weather station 4.8 miles away. The snowiest month is usually January (6.5 in).

Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
0.0	0.7	4.1	6.5	3.1	1.7	0.1	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 Cougar?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KRTX (Portland, OR), about 39 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 Cougar	View
KRTX Portland, OR	39 mi southwest	2,600 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KLGX Langley Hill, WA	113 mi northwest	11,600 ft	Limited — the beam overshoots the lowest part of storms
KATX Seattle/Tacoma, WA	149 mi north	17,900 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 Cougar

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 10 tornadoes within 25 miles of Cougar. Most came in October and September. The strongest was an F1 on June 29, 1989, which touched down about 21 miles west-southwest of town. The most recent was an EF0 on October 11, 2023, which touched down about 22 miles southwest of town.

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 Cougar'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.

Cougar radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Cougar, WA?

KRTX (Portland, OR), about 39 miles southwest. KLGX (Langley Hill, WA) is 113 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Cougar flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 21 days in the South Washington Cascade Foothills forecast zone and Cowlitz County. 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 Cougar 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 Cougar, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

Radar for nearby towns

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