Live Radar
Radar shows where rain is falling right now, which is different from satellite, which shows the clouds. During a hurricane, radar is the best tool for watching rain bands and the eyewall move onshore. The maps below cover the US Gulf and Atlantic coasts and the Caribbean.
Read radar by color. Lighter greens are lighter rain, yellows and oranges are heavier rain, and the brightest reds near the center mark the eyewall. The National Hurricane Center and your local National Weather Service office use this same radar data.
Florida
Composite radar centered on Florida. Source: Windy.com. Updates continuously.
Gulf Coast — Texas to Alabama
Composite radar from Texas to Alabama. Source: Windy.com. Updates continuously.
Carolinas and Georgia
Composite radar over the Carolinas and Georgia. Source: Windy.com. Updates continuously.
Caribbean
Composite radar over the Caribbean. Source: Windy.com. Updates continuously.
What to look for
Outer rain bands arrive first
Spiral bands of rain can reach the coast 12 to 24 hours before the storm center. Gusty winds and heavy downpours in these bands are the first sign a storm is close.
The eyewall is a ring of heavy rain
The brightest returns on radar, in a ring around the clear eye, mark the eyewall. This is where the strongest winds are. If the eyewall crosses over you, the worst is happening.
Tornado risk in the right-front quadrant
The right-front quadrant of a storm, relative to its motion, is where tornadoes are most likely in the outer bands. If you are in that section, treat a tornado watch seriously.
Frequently asked questions
How far out does radar see?
A single radar site sees roughly 100 to 150 miles. The composite views on this page stitch many sites together, so they cover a much wider region, but the very edge of the map is less reliable.
Why does radar go blank during a hurricane?
Radar sites can lose power, lose their network link, or be shut down on purpose once winds at the site exceed a safe operating speed. When a site goes dark, the composite shows a gap until it comes back online.
What does dBZ mean?
dBZ is a measure of radar reflectivity, which tracks how much energy bounces back from raindrops. Higher dBZ means heavier rain. Values above 50 usually indicate very heavy rain, and the highest values mark the eyewall.
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