Tumwater, WA Live Doppler Radar

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

Open live radar for TumwaterWhat TALON shows

What weather hits Tumwater?

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 Tumwater, mostly in January and November. Next come lightning casualties & damage (3 days) and damaging thunderstorm winds (1 days).

HazardDays reportedMost recentWorst on record
Flooding4Jan 2021Jan 7, 2009 · $3.2 million damage
Lightning casualties & damage3May 2003Sep 5, 2002 · $20,000 damage
Damaging thunderstorm winds1May 2017May 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 Tumwater get?

A normal year brings about 3.9 inches of snow to Tumwater, based on NOAA's 1991–2020 climate normals for the Olympia Ap weather station 1.3 miles away. The snowiest month is usually January (2.0 in).

OctNovDecJanFebMarAprMay
0.00.01.22.00.60.10.00.0

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

Which radars cover Tumwater?

The closest NEXRAD Doppler radar is KLGX (Langley Hill, WA), about 57 miles west. 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.

RadarDistanceLowest beam over TumwaterView
KLGX
Langley Hill, WA		57 mi west4,200 ftGood — most storms and steady rain or snow show clearly
KATX
Seattle/Tacoma, WA		86 mi north-northeast7,600 ftFair — the beam can pass over shallow snow and low-level rotation
KRTX
Portland, OR		88 mi south7,900 ftFair — 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 Tumwater

Since 1950, NOAA has recorded 8 tornadoes within 25 miles of Tumwater, 1 of them EF2/F2 or stronger. Most came in October and November. The strongest was an F2 on November 10, 1965, which touched down about 20 miles south of town. The most recent was an EF1 on October 18, 2019, which touched down about 19 miles north of town.

Hail: 2 reports 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 Tumwater'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.

Tumwater radar FAQ

Where is the nearest weather radar to Tumwater, WA?

KLGX (Langley Hill, WA), about 57 miles west. KATX (Seattle/Tacoma, WA) is 86 miles away and also covers the area.

How often does Tumwater 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 Tumwater 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 Tumwater, follow it right away — see watch vs. warning.

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