Kalama, WA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Kalama What TALON shows

What weather hits Kalama?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 21 days in the Cowlitz County Lowlands forecast zone and Cowlitz County — the most common reported hazard around Kalama, 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
Heavy snow & winter storms	1	Feb 2025	Feb 13, 2025 · $44,000 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 Cowlitz County Lowlands forecast zone and Cowlitz County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

How much snow does Kalama get?

A normal year brings about 3.0 inches of snow to Kalama, 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 Kalama?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KRTX (Portland, OR), about 22 miles south-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 Kalama	View
KRTX Portland, OR	22 mi south-southwest	1,200 ft	Excellent — the lowest scan sees close to the ground
KLGX Langley Hill, WA	97 mi northwest	9,200 ft	Fair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KATX Seattle/Tacoma, WA	151 mi north	18,400 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 Kalama

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 19 tornadoes within 25 miles of Kalama. Most came in October and September. The strongest was an F1 on June 29, 1989, which touched down about 13 miles southeast of town. The most recent was an EF0 on October 28, 2024, which touched down about 10 miles northwest of town.

Hail: 4 reports of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.00-inch hail on May 4, 2017.

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 Kalama'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.

Kalama radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Kalama, WA?

KRTX (Portland, OR), about 22 miles south-southwest. KLGX (Langley Hill, WA) is 97 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Kalama flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 21 days in the Cowlitz County Lowlands 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 Kalama 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 Kalama, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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