Originally born in Spokane, Washington,  Jackie's Dad was in the Air Force which led her to a life of travel. She has lived in Wichita, Okinawa, Japan, Baltimore, New Jersey, Indiana and South Carolina.  After graduating from Kadena High School, in Okinawa Japan, she got a full basketball scholarship to Coppin State College. On the court she was a 4-year starter and reached over 1000 points in her basketball career. She was also named Athlete of the Year for the whole university in 2002. Off the court, she earned a degree in Broadcast Production/English.

After college, she landed a job as a radio personality. Jackie went on to have a successful career for 12 years working at KXLY broadcast center. While on the radio, she decided to change career. Jackie went back to school, graduating from the Mississippi State Meteorology Broadcast Program. From snow, to tornadoes, to hurricanes, she has had experience forecasting all these events.

Jackie Brown

JackieBrownjpeg-1679518619427.jpeg

The Warmth continues across the west. A ridge of high pressure and downsloping winds will be key factors to help bring warm air across the Northwest and Southwest this week.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/pic6-1768577938401.png">Records have been falling across the northwest, and on Thursday, a few Montana locations broke record highs.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/1-1768532915954.png">Temperatures are expected to stay above average for the next few days. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/1-1768533098580.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/1-1768533127840.png">Most cities will be around 10-15 degrees above average.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/1-1768533186091.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/2-1768533192046.png">There remains high confidence that temperatures will remain above average across the west from January 21 - 25.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/1-1768533219523.png">For more information on your Western Regional forecast, tune into WeatherNation at :50 past the hour.

Patrick Crawford

Record Warmth in Store For the West

Screenshot20260114172434png-1768436709550.png

Rob grew up in South Florida, where daily afternoon storms and hurricanes piqued his interest in meteorology early on. That interest was fostered by his teachers and his father, who one time brought him onto the roof of their home to watch a funnel cloud move through the Everglades several miles away. Years of filmmaking and tv production in high school gradually pushed him toward broadcast meteorology at Florida State University, where he joined and eventually led the student run daily weather show. After graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Meteorology, he began his career at KESQ in Palm Springs, California before heading to KFSN in Fresno and WLOS in Asheville, North Carolina. He has covered a diverse array of extreme weather events, including haboobs and flash flooding in the desert, extreme snow in the Sierra, hurricanes, and Appalachian ice storms. He also enjoys telling stories and reporting about weather issues.

Connect with Rob on <a href="https://twitter.com/WxRobBradley">Twitter</a>

Rob Bradley

RobBradleyjpeg-1679518597323.jpeg

Sub-feezing temperatures made their way into the South and Southeast Thursday into Friday, with lows in the 30s as far south as South Florida! These chilly temps were cold enough to stun cold-blooded Iguanas, which are an invasive species.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2012155375894806776" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2012155375894806776"></div>Temperatures dropped into the teens and 20s farther north into the Panhandle and surrounding SE states. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-16 124649-1768593332715.png"><h1>Next Round</h1>Another blast of arctic air will dive south this weekend, potentially leading to snow falling for a few areas of the South Sunday (<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/snow-in-the-south-so-youre-telling-me-theres-a-chance">click here to read more</a>). While few people will see measurable snow, everyone in the Southeast will see below average temperatures return Sunday into Monday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-16 124811-1768593439722.png">Starting late Saturday, the next round of cold begins to work it's way into the South. Nashville will likely see wind chills in the teens Saturday night into Sunday, with wind chills to the 30s in Tampa by Monday morning.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/2026-01-16 12-48-15-1768593459822.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>As we look at the 7-day temperature plot for Nashville, daytime highs are expected to stay below normal for several days. The nighttime temperatures will drop into the deep freezer with values in the low 10s.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-16 125901-1768593554307.png">For your eastern regional forecast, tune into WeatherNation :10 past the hour.

Cold Stuns Iguanas in Florida, Another Arctic Blast On The Way

Screenshot20260116125003png-1768593006922.png

Meteorologist Jesse Kelley is excited to join the talented staff at Weather Nation. Jesse spent most of his childhood in Birmingham, Alabama. The state of Alabama is prone to seeing various types of weather from severe thunderstorms, tornadoes, hurricanes, and winter weather. For college, Jesse attended the University of South Alabama where he received his degree in Broadcast Meteorology along with minors in Math and Geography. From Alabama, Jesse started his broadcast television working three years at KAVU-TV in Victoria. Recently, he finished a stint in Shreveport, LA. Jesse and his wife are looking forward to making the Rocky Mountains and Colorado home. If you would like to follow me, you can follow me on Twitter @JesseKelleywx and on Facebook at Meteorologist Jesse Kelley.

Jesse Kelley

JesseKelleyjpeg-1679519197409.jpeg

Several waves of low pressure are diving across the East, bringing multiple waves of precipitation over the next few days. Areas from the Great Lakes down to the Ohio River Valley will have a shot at some rain and snow. On Wednesday and early Thursday morning, a heavy lake effect snow band walloped parts of SW Michigan and Northern Indiana. South Bend recorded a daily snowfall record receiving a foot of snow.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/1-1768512359969.png"><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2011996831174312006" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2011996831174312006"></div><h1>Timing &amp; Alerts</h1>Through early next week, some cities have daily snowfall chances with this active pattern of clippers and cold. The next round of snow arrives later tonight and Friday moving from Minnesota and down into the Great Lakes region! Across the Ohio Valley, the precipitation will start off as rain before changing over to snow as the colder air meets up with the moisture. As this front moves out, we have another storm system by Sunday.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/New Baron Video 3-1768533571337.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Web 1-1768579119101.png"><h1>Forecast Totals</h1>Through Monday, the heaviest amount of snow will be found across parts of the Great Lakes with totals over a foot. Elsewhere, snowfall amounts should be more manageable between 2-4". As always take it slow on the roadways! <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/1-1768512814010.png">Tune into WeatherNation :10 past the hour for the latest updates on this forecast.

Tracey Anthony

Active Pattern Continues for the Northeast and Great Lakes

Screenshot20260115061224png-1768483273534.png

SOUTH - Cold air is seeping into the southern U.S. this week, bringing wind chill factors through the end of the week. However, as we head into the weekend, another frontal system could draw in just enough cold air and encounter just enough moisture to bring the potential for wintry weather to the South. There is still some uncertainty in the forecast, so here’s what we know so far.WHAT WE KNOW:<ul><li>Cold air has settled into the South with another push of cold this weekend</li><li>A second low will develop, bringing unsettled weather</li><li>Timing: Saturday night into Sunday</li></ul><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-16 054635-1768567605670.png">WHAT WE DON'T KNOW<ul><li>Where sub-freezing temperatures will ultimately settle</li><li>Whether cold air will arrive at the same time as the moisture rebounds</li></ul><h2>Forecast</h2>The NBM (National Blend of Models) shows the probability of snow across the South. Currently, most areas are in the 20-30% range, which is relatively low.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/2026-01-16 05-39-37-1768567209546.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Other forecast models show the freezing line moving in on Saturday and interacting with Gulf moisture, potentially producing wintry precipitation.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-14 190950-1768444998666.png">Moisture is likely to begin as rainfall on Saturday before transitioning to snow into late Saturday night. Snow could then continue along the frontal boundary into the late morning on Sunday.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/New Baron Video 3-1768518962960.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h2>Totals</h2>In a forecast discussion, the National Weather Service in Tallahassee stated: " Chances for snow have remained steady or slightly decreased and there is now a low to medium (20 to 30%) chance of measurable snow Sunday morning. This is very much a "thread the needle" kind of event and lots of things will have to go right for us to get accumulating snow across our forecast area. We are NOT expecting anything close to what we saw during last January's snow event." With that in mind, we take a look at what our in-house model is forecasting, which produces light snowfall from near Panama City through SE Georgia.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-16 054145-1768567337051.png">The GFS model, which struggles with precipitation type when temperatures are near freezing, shows a more widespread swath of snow up through the Carolinas. The final result will likely be something between these two model forecasts.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-16 054120-1768567354783.png">Be sure to join us on WeatherNation as we continue to fine-tune this forecast in the coming days.

Snow in The South: So You're Telling Me There's A Chance

Screenshot20260116053840png-1768567125019.png

WeatherNation Meteorologists

headshotspng-1676305264677.png

<h1><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/news/national-climate-202513">COURTESY: NCEI Assessing the U.S. Temperature and Precipitation Analysis in 2025</a></h1><h2>Annual Key Points:</h2><ul><li>For the first time since 2015, no hurricanes made landfall in the U.S. or its territories during 2025.</li><li>The tornado in Enderlin, North Dakota, was the first verified EF-5 since 2013.</li><li>The Eaton and Palisades Fires were the second- and third-most destructive California wildfires on record, respectively.</li><li>The Texas Hill Country experienced a 1-in-100- to 1-in-1,000-year flood event that killed at least 135 people after nearly two feet of rain fell in just a few days.</li><li>Utah and Nevada set new annual temperature records, with Utah eclipsing its previous record that had stood since 1934.</li></ul><img src="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/inline-images/Notable-Weathe-Climate-US-132025_Final_2.png" alt="Map of the U.S. showing locations of notable weather and climate events in 2025 with text describing each event and title at top stating “Notable Weather and Climate Events: 2025”. " title="Map of the U.S. showing locations of notable weather and climate events in 2025 with text describing each event and title at top stating “Notable Weather and Climate Events: 2025”. ">Map of the U.S. notable weather and climate events in 2025.<h2>Other Highlights:</h2><h3>Temperature</h3>Annual temperatures across the contiguous U.S. (CONUS) averaged 54.6°F in 2025, which was 2.6°F above the 20th-century average and ranked as the fourth-warmest year in the 131-year record. Temperatures were above average nationwide, with the most pronounced warmth across the western third of the country. Averaged across the entire region from the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/reference-maps/rockies-and-westward">West Coast through the Rocky Mountains</a>, this area recorded its warmest annual temperature on record.<img src="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/inline-images/grid-ranks-tavg-202501-202512_0.png" alt="Map of the U.S. showing temperature percentiles for 2025 with warmer areas in gradients of red and cooler areas in gradients of blue. (Courtesy of NOAA NCEI.)" title="Map of the U.S. showing temperature percentiles for 2025 with warmer areas in gradients of red and cooler areas in gradients of blue. (Courtesy of NOAA NCEI.)">Map of the U.S. Mean Temperature Percentiles in 2025.Based on average annual temperatures across <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/monitoring/reference-maps/">NOAA climate regions</a>, the Southwest saw its warmest year on record; the West and Northwest both ranked third warmest, and the South tied for its fourth-warmest year. Statewide, Utah and Nevada recorded their warmest years on record at 4.3°F and 3.7°F above their 20th-century averages, respectively. In total, a dozen states experienced one of their four warmest years. At the county level, 62 counties across 10 states—more than eight million people—recorded their warmest year on record.Annual temperatures in Alaska averaged 29.5°F, 3.5°F above the 1925–2000 average, ranking as the ninth warmest in the 101-year record. Much-above-average temperatures persisted through most of the year, producing the third-warmest January–November statewide, though a notably cold December lowered the annual ranking.Hawaiʻi recorded an average annual temperature of 67.0°F, 0.7°F above the 1991–2020 average, placing the year within the warmest third of the 35-year record.<h3>Precipitation&nbsp;</h3>The CONUS received an average of 29.19 inches of precipitation in 2025, 0.73 inch below the 20th-century average, placing the year in the driest third of the 131-year record. The annual average does not fully reflect some of the pronounced regional wet and dry patterns seen throughout the year: the western U.S. experienced drier-than-average conditions in the first half of the year, followed by wetter-than-average conditions late in the year, while central and eastern regions generally saw above-average precipitation in spring and early summer, then below-average totals in the fall.&nbsp;<img src="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/sites/default/files/inline-images/grid-ranks-prcp-202501-202512_0.png" alt="Map of the U.S. showing precipitation percentiles for 2025 with wetter areas in gradients of green and drier areas in gradients of brown. (Courtesy of NOAA NCEI)" title="Map of the U.S. showing precipitation percentiles for 2025 with wetter areas in gradients of green and drier areas in gradients of brown. (Courtesy of NOAA NCEI)">Map of the U.S. Total Precipitation Percentiles in 2025.Much of the Southwest and Southeast ended the year below average, with deficits exceeding one foot in parts of the Southeast, while the central and northern Plains, along with the western Ohio Valley, were wetter than average. Kentucky had its 10th-wettest year on record, with over a third of its counties receiving more than a foot above their average annual rainfall.Alaska received 39.72 inches of precipitation in 2025, 3.02 inches above average, placing the year within the wettest third of the 101-year record. Hawaiʻi recorded a total of 41.96 inches, 19.77 inches below average for the state, or about 68 percent of normal (1991–2020), marking its third-driest year in the 35-year record.<h3>Tropical Cyclones</h3>Despite the lack of U.S. landfalls in 2025, the North Atlantic hurricane season was active, producing 13 named storms, including five hurricanes and four major hurricanes; this amount was near the long-term average. The season was particularly notable for three Category 5 hurricanes—Erin, Humberto and Melissa—the second-most to form in a single year. While Erin and Humberto remained offshore, Hurricane Melissa made landfall on Jamaica at peak intensity with maximum sustained winds of 185 mph—tying with the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane as the strongest landfall on record in the Atlantic Basin and ranking as the strongest tropical cyclone worldwide in 2025. Although no direct landfalls occurred, remnants of tropical systems—including Super Typhoon Halong (Alaska) and Hurricane Priscilla (Southwest)—brought flooding impacts to the U.S. late in the year.<h3>Floods</h3>2025 was characterized by widespread and significant flooding, driven by a combination of atmospheric rivers, slow-moving convective systems and tropical moisture. Significant flood events were observed in every season and region; July alone recorded 1,434 flash flood warnings from the National Weather Service—the second-highest July total in 40 years. Several historic precipitation events overwhelmed infrastructure, producing 1-in-1,000-year rainfall recurrence intervals in parts of Kentucky, Tennessee, North Carolina and Texas. These events resulted in significant loss of life; catastrophic flooding in the Texas Hill Country in July resulted in at least 135 fatalities, while recurring storms in the Ohio Valley and severe weather across the South contributed to dozens of additional fatalities throughout the year.The year featured stark regional extremes, beginning and ending with strong atmospheric rivers that impacted the West Coast; notable events in February, November and December caused widespread damage and fatalities in California and the Pacific Northwest. In the interior, stalled spring fronts produced historic rainfall across the Lower Ohio Valley, while summer saw a shift to the Northeast, where record-breaking rainfall rates inundated the New York City metro area. Unique hydrological extremes also marked the year, including a record-breaking glacial outburst flood in Alaska, tsunami-induced flooding in Hawaiʻi and deadly flash floods over wildfire burn scars in New Mexico.<h3>Tornadoes</h3>The preliminary U.S. tornado count for 2025 was 1,559, ranking as the fifth-highest on record and 127 percent of the 30-year (1991–2020) average. The year was marked by several notable extremes, including 300 preliminary tornado reports in March—a new March record—more than three times average. In addition to the Enderlin EF-5 tornado, five EF-4 tornadoes occurred in Arkansas, Louisiana, Illinois and Kentucky. At the state level, North Dakota shattered its previous annual tornado record of 61 (set in 2010), with 72 tornado reports in 2025.<h3>Wildfires</h3>The number of wildfires in 2025 was approximately 105 percent of the 20-year (2001–20) average, with more than 72,000 wildfires reported. The total number of acres burned from these wildfires—5.0 million acres—was 72 percent of the 20-year average of nearly seven million acres.Southern California experienced some of the year’s most destructive fires. Fueled by Santa Ana winds gusting up to 90 miles per hour and dry conditions, the Eaton Fire burned 14,000 acres, while the Palisades Fire burned more than 23,000 acres and was the most destructive wildfire on record for Los Angeles. Together, these fires damaged or destroyed over 18,000 structures during January and were responsible for 31 fatalities. Later in the year, the Gifford Fire became the largest wildfire for California in 2025, burning over 131,000 acres across San Luis Obispo and Santa Barbara counties in August.In Arizona, the Dragon Bravo Fire burned more than 145,000 acres between July and September, making it the largest wildfire of the year in the U.S. and the 10th-largest in Arizona history.Alaska had a below-average 2025 wildfire season, with approximately one million acres burned—about two-thirds of the state’s 20-year (2001–20) average.<h3>Drought</h3>The drought footprint across the CONUS experienced marked fluctuations during 2025, following a distinct pattern of spring expansion, early summer contraction and autumn resurgence. The year began with 38.1 percent of the lower 48 states in moderate to exceptional drought (D1–D4). Coverage expanded steadily through March, reaching a spring peak of 44.7 percent on March 25. Widespread precipitation then drove a substantial decline, with drought coverage falling to its annual minimum of 29.6 percent by June 3. However, this improvement was short-lived. Drought conditions intensified during late summer and autumn, with coverage increasing rapidly to a yearly maximum of 46.1 percent on October 21 and again on November 18. By the final week of the year (December 30), drought coverage had eased slightly but remained elevated at 42.8 percent, leaving a larger portion of the country in drought than at the start of 2025.<h3>Snowfall</h3>The 2024–25 snow season featured above-average snowfall across parts of the mountainous West, central Plains, Gulf Coast, Southeast and Ohio Valley, while below-average snowfall occurred across much of the Great Basin, southern Rockies, northern Plains, Upper Midwest and portions of the Northeast.The 2025–26 snowfall season to date (October 1–December 31, 2025) saw above-average snowfall across much of the Midwest and Great Lakes region, with lake-effect areas receiving more than a foot above average for this period. In contrast, much of the Mountain West and High Plains received lower-than-average snowfall, particularly the Cascades, Wasatch and Uinta and the northern and southern Rockies, with the exception of the Sierra Nevada and parts of the northern Cascades, Bitterroots and middle Rockies.&nbsp;

Active Pattern Continues for the Northeast and Great Lakes

Snow in The South: So You're Telling Me There's A Chance

Year in Review: 2025 4th Warmest on Record

Record Warmth in Store For the West

Cold Stuns Iguanas in Florida, Another Arctic Blast On The Way

Active Pattern Continues for the Northeast and Great Lakes

Snow in The South: So You're Telling Me There's A Chance

Year in Review: 2025 4th Warmest on Record

Record Warmth in Store For the West

Cold Stuns Iguanas in Florida, Another Arctic Blast On The Way

Active Pattern Continues for the Northeast and Great Lakes

Snow in The South: So You're Telling Me There's A Chance

Year in Review: 2025 4th Warmest on Record