Rainier, WA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for Rainier What TALON shows

What weather hits Rainier?

Since 1996, the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 4 days in the Olympia and Southern Puget Sound forecast zone and Thurston County — the most common reported hazard around Rainier, mostly in January and November. Next come lightning casualties & damage (3 days) and damaging thunderstorm winds (1 days).

Hazard	Days reported	Most recent	Worst on record
Flooding	4	Jan 2021	Jan 7, 2009 · $3.2 million damage
Lightning casualties & damage	3	May 2003	Sep 5, 2002 · $20,000 damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds	1	May 2017	May 4, 2017 · $700,000 damage

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 Olympia and Southern Puget Sound forecast zone and Thurston County; damage is as reported, not adjusted for inflation.

How much snow does Rainier get?

A normal year brings about 3.9 inches of snow to Rainier, based on NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Olympia Ap weather station 11.7 miles away. The snowiest month is usually January (2.0 in).

Oct	Nov	Dec	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May
0.0	0.0	1.2	2.0	0.6	0.1	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 Rainier?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KLGX (Langley Hill, WA), about 69 miles west-northwest. 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 Rainier	View
KLGX Langley Hill, WA	69 mi west-northwest	5,500 ft	Good — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KRTX Portland, OR	82 mi south	7,200 ft	Fair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KATX Seattle/Tacoma, WA	91 mi north	8,300 ft	Fair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation

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 Rainier

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 11 tornadoes within 25 miles of Rainier, 1 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in September and April. The strongest was an F2 on November 10, 1965, which touched down about 17 miles southwest of town. The most recent was a tornado of unknown strength on October 4, 2019, which touched down about 10 miles west-southwest of town.

Hail: 1 report of 1-inch or larger hail within 25 miles since 1955; the largest was 1.50-inch hail on September 1, 1997.

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 Rainier'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.

Rainier radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Rainier, WA?

KLGX (Langley Hill, WA), about 69 miles west-northwest. KRTX (Portland, OR) is 82 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Rainier flood?

Since 1996 the National Weather Service has logged river or areal flooding on 4 days in the Olympia and Southern Puget Sound forecast zone and Thurston 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 Rainier 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 Rainier, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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