Fresh Snow and Temperature Outlook Ahead of Christmas Day

If you are looking for fresh snow by Christmas morning or are curious about potential travel disruptions, the best chances for at least 1" of new snowfall early this week exist across the mountainous West, Great Lakes, and Northeast. Otherwise, temperatures this last full week of December will average above normal for much of the lower 48 states. Read More >

RADAR

Satellite

Link to Pan and Zoom RADAR Imagery

Latest RADAR imagery (KMAX--Mt Ashland)

KBHX--Eureka, CA

KBBX -- Beale AFB, CA

KRTX--Portland, OR

Click to enlarge national RADAR image

Pan/Zoom RADAR

Slower loading but features more detail and capabilities.

Helpful hints when viewing this "lite" RADAR imagery

Time is it UTC. Subtract 7 hours to get PDT and 8 hours to get PST

Other "lite images" click here.

Ground Clutter:

Image is what it can look like when there is no precipitation but significant ground clutter. The grey and green areas won't move much.

Actual Precipitation:

Image below shows precipitation in the area. Green areas change/move like you'd expect with areas of rain/snow.

	Geocolor Good for viewing smoke, general cloud cover, snowpack Can use daytime or nighttime Faster loading/less detailed image here.
	Infrared with Lightning Good indicator for height of clouds Colder/higher cloud tops are blue Can use daytime or nighttime Lightning "flashes" indicate include in-cloud, cloud to cloud, or cloud to ground flashes.
	Fire Temperature Good indicator for wildfire location and movement Brighter reds indicate hotter fires
	Day Cloud Phase Distinction Helps determine if clouds include ice or not Clouds transitioning from white shades to green and yellow shades indicate stronger showers
	Water Vapor Imagery Used for tracking winds and moisture in the middle troposphere, as low as around 18,000 feet, or 500mb. Surface features are usually not apparent in this band.