LOCATION · United States
Los Angeles Weather Radar & Live Satellite Map
Is it raining in LA — or is that just the marine layer?
Los Angeles has a Mediterranean climate: long dry summers, a short wet season from roughly November to March, and a famous coastal marine layer. That means LA's live map looks very different from a rainy city's — often the most interesting thing isn't rain at all, but cloud, wind and smoke.
Open the live map over Los Angeles and switch on Cloud Imagery and Precip Radar.
What to watch over the LA basin
- The marine layer — low cloud and fog that rolls in off the Pacific overnight ("May Gray," "June Gloom"). It barely registers on radar but shows plainly on satellite.
- Winter storms — atmospheric rivers can bring intense rain and mountain snow in a few wet-season events, lighting up the radar in oranges and reds.
- Santa Ana winds & wildfire smoke — autumn's offshore winds drive extreme fire risk. Satellite is the tool here: smoke plumes are obvious in true-color imagery. See our guide to tracking wildfires from space.
Reading the map for LA
When rain does come, it generally arrives from the west or northwest off the Pacific. The mountains ringing the basin wring out extra rain on their windward slopes, so the foothills often see more than the coast.
More than weather
During fire season, switch on the active fires layer alongside satellite smoke to see ignition points and the plume together — the kind of fusion view that makes LEV more than a rain map.
Open the live map over Los Angeles to see current conditions.
Frequently asked questions
Why does LA radar look empty so often?
Los Angeles has a dry Mediterranean climate, so for much of the year there is simply no precipitation to detect. The grey you see overhead is often the marine layer — low coastal cloud and fog — which radar does not pick up. Switch to satellite to see it.
What are Santa Ana winds?
Santa Ana winds are hot, dry winds that blow from the inland deserts toward the coast, usually in autumn. They dramatically raise wildfire risk. They don't show on rain radar, but their effect — fast-moving smoke plumes — shows clearly on satellite imagery.
SEE IT LIVE
Everything in this guide is on one real-time map.