News
By Sam Collentine, Meteorologist Updated 2 months ago August 22, 2024
Current & Forecast Radar
Don't get caught in the storm or surprised by muddy trails.
Track incoming storms and ongoing precipitation with our high-resolution current and forecast radar map overlays in OpenSnow.
Getting Started
- Tap the "Maps" tab.
- Tap the overlay button.
- Tap any "Radar" overlay.
- Scrub the bottom slider.
The "Current US Radar" is updated:
- Every 4 minutes to help you track ongoing precipitation for the past 2 hours.
The "Current Global Radar" is updated:
- Every 10 minutes to help you track ongoing precipitation for the past 2 hours.
The "Current Japan Radar" is updated:
- Every 5 minutes to help you track ongoing precipitation for the past 2 hours.
The "Forecast US Radar" is updated:
- Every 60 minutes to help you track forecasted precipitation for the next 2 days.
Here's an example of the "Current US Radar" overlay (in 3D) over Boulder, Colorado on August 13, 2024:
Two More Notes
First, radar has more difficulty detecting snow compared to rain. During winter, this means that intense snow might be falling even if the radar map shows low dBZ values (blue and green).
Second, big mountains block the radar beam from detecting precipitation close to the mountain tops. During the summer, this usually is a less important issue because thunderstorms rise far above the mountain tops and the radar can detect them. During the winter, radar might show little or no snow over the mountains even if a snowstorm is raging. We recommend also checking live webcams.
Track storms on any device by upgrading to All-Access. The benefits also include 10-day forecasts, expert local analysis, custom snow alerts, and much more.
View → OpenSnow Radar
Questions? Send an email to [email protected] and we'll respond within 24 hours. You can also visit our Support Center to view frequently asked questions and feature guides.
Sam Collentine