Brittany Lockley

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A potent spring storm system is building across the central United States, setting the stage for several days of dangerous weather from the Plains to the Midwest. Strong winds are already impacting parts of the Northern Plains and Rockies, with some areas seeing powerful gusts that could intensify even further as the system strengthens.&nbsp;<h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 031345-1775639637850.png">SEVERE</h1>Severe outlooks through the morning have ended but for Thursday afternoon and Friday the stalled frontal boundary running into warm temperatures and high moisture from the Gulf have portions of the central Plains under a risk for severe weather. There is a SLIGHT risk (level 2 out of 5) for portions of Kansas on Thursday afternoon with the risk of significant hail up to 2 inches in diameter.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 194504-1775699261163.png"><h1>RAINFALL</h1>The biggest threat will likely focus on portions of Kansas, Missouri, and surrounding states, where repeated downpours could lead to flooding issues. Rainfall totals are expected to reach a few inches in some areas, with locally higher amounts possible where storms repeatedly pass over the same locations.&nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 194750-1775699276049.png">As this system sets up, there will still be cold air in the vicinity of this shot at rain. The warm air could be slow to build in, which would bring in a threat of freezing rain back to northern Wisconsin and Michigan. Right now, the threat appears limited since temperatures will gradually warm, but one worth watching.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/04-08_rnc rsc bams3k-1775699281707.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>These storms will bring the risk of damaging wind gusts and strong thunderstorms. With a steady supply of moisture and a slow-moving system, unsettled conditions are expected to linger through the week.&nbsp;This setup is typical for spring, when strong storm systems can bring a mix of high winds, severe storms, and flooding concerns.Stay tuned to WN for more details.

Alana Cameron

Front Stalls Over the Central Plains

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Alana Cameron was born and raised in Canada in the city of Mississauga, just outside of Toronto. Alana is the oldest of 4 siblings, all close in age, and grew up playing outside with them in all types of weather. After graduating high school, Alana moved to study at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna for a year before transferring to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she completed a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Atmospheric Science. Upon completion, Alana moved back to Toronto where she completed a post-grad degree in Meteorology at York University. After her post-grad, she went on to complete another post-grad in Broadcast Journalism - TV News at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. During her final year of studies she had the privilege of interning with the best in the business in Canada at The Weather Network. Once she finished her internship, she got the call from small-town Denison, Texas where she accepted a job as an on-air meteorologist at KTEN-TV, right in tornado alley, covering severe weather from Sherman/Denison (North Texas) to Ada (Southern Oklahoma). After the most active tornado season Oklahoma had seen in May 2019 (105 tornadoes!) Alana is excited to join WeatherNation to cover weather all across the nation. If you're interested in following her on social media she can be found @alanacameronwx!

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The drought conditions have started to increase into extreme and exceptional levels out west with the lack of moisture, especially across the northern four-corners. Any moisture to make it this way will be beneficial to the area.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-05 170244-1775430223227.png">As we head through the end of the week, a digging trough will keep the pattern active. This increases some of the chances out west to keep moisture in the forecast. By Thursday, forecast models are in agreement that more rain will develop from California to the Four Corners.<h2>Four Corners Moisture</h2>Here's a closer look at the incoming rain and snow for Colorado and New Mexico. A few showers and storms may sneak into portions of Utah and Arizona, but the majority of the moisture looks to happen in Colorado and New Mexico. This moisture picks up over the next few afternoons, especially Thursday and Friday.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/04-08_four corners-1775678531052.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Totals don't look particularly impressive, but any moisture here is critical given the ongoing drought.<h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 194343-1775699029616.png">Sierra Nevada</h2>Moisture really spills in to California later this week. Winter Storm Watches have been issued for portions of the Sierra Nevada for Friday through Sunday for a couple of feet of snowfall in the higher elevations, mostly above 4500 feet.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 194132-1775699039260.png">The timing of the moisture greatly picks up when the front starts to push onshore by the end of the week and by then temperatures should be cool enough to support some high elevation snowfall.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/04-08_Rsw california 18z-1775699046156.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Totals may surpass a foot in the high country and at the peaks of the mountains, but the Donner Pass will be a slick one to travel over this weekend.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 194138-1775699057586.png">More on your Western Regional Forecast can be found :50 past the hour on WeatherNation.

West Pattern: Moisture Returns + New Winter Alerts for California

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NEW RECORD - At 1:56 PM ET on Monday, April 6, 2026, the Artemis II crew broke the record for the farthest distance anyone has traveled from Earth. The previous record was 248,655 miles during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. At 7:07 PM ET, they reached their maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth. Later that day, the crew experienced a 40-minute communications blackout with mission control in Houston as they passed over the far side of the Moon before reestablishing contact.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2041225429772882179" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2041225429772882179"></div>LIFTOFF - At 6:35 PM ET on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, NASA launched astronauts on an historic mission to the Moon. This marks the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years, dating back to the Apollo era.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2039477801787769177" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2039477801787769177"></div>NASA’s Space Launch System sent four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, aboard the Orion spacecraft on a test flight around the Moon and back. This 10-day mission will demonstrate life support systems and help lay the foundation for future deep space exploration.<h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-28 091928-1774711352235.png">What's Next for Artemis II?</h2><ul><li>Day 1: focused on launch and entering Earth orbit.</li><li>Days 2-4: outbound transit toward the Moon.</li><li>Days 5-6: Orion will fly by the Moon, entering its sphere of influence, where the Moon becomes the dominant gravitational force.</li><li>Days 7-10: return trip to Earth, followed by re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, where the U.S. Navy will recover the capsule.</li></ul>We are currently in the lunar flyby stage. This is the point of the mission where Orion is moving into the moon's gravitational sphere of influence and away from Earth's gravitational pull. On Day 6, Artemis II will move to the far side of the moon and lose contact with Earth for 40 minutes.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-01 180532-1775088336863.png">After sling shotting around the moon, Orion will head back toward earth near the end of next week. Several burns will reposition the spacecraft before it re-enters Earth's atmosphere next Friday. It is expected to splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego. We will be monitoring the forecast in this area of the Pacific closely for any impacts. Check back for updates!<h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-02 073719-1775137047865.png"></h2><h2>What is the Future of the Artemis Program?</h2>In simple terms, Artemis is the first step in a broader effort to send humans to Mars. Before that, NASA aims to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a sustained presence while testing humanity’s ability to live and work beyond Earth’s orbit. Artemis II, specifically, will send astronauts around the Moon and back.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-28 091131a-1774710738504.jpg">This will be the first mission since 1972 to take humans beyond low Earth orbit, and potentially farther from Earth than any human has traveled before. NASA currently plans a series of Artemis missions, with Artemis IV expected to land astronauts on the Moon.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-01 180027-1775088036041.png">Artemis II marks a major step forward in human space exploration, pushing us farther than we’ve gone in decades, and bringing us one step closer to returning to the Moon… and eventually, reaching Mars.

Farthest Humans Ever from Earth: Artemis II

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Kevin Schneider

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Here we go again. After what looks like a largely quiet week of weather, the pattern becomes active this weekend. As our quiet weather starts to break down, neighbors to the west will get some much-needed rain and snow. However, this system will emerge out of the Rockies and take on a different life.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-06 043244-1775471702403.png">As this wave moves through the mountains, it will pull moisture north ahead of it. That will create a powder keg environment if we push storms into it. This far ahead of the event, details are still a bit fuzzy. However, it appears that there are going to be ingredients in place to talk about severe thunderstorms, with all modes on the table right now. The Storm Prediction Center keeps a 15% chance for severe weather on Sunday and even into Monday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 103042-1775665981712.png">Severe outlooks are already in place for Saturday and continue through Tuesday. The fact that outlooks have been issued this far in advance means confidence is building for multiple days for severe storms. The fact that we have some time before this event, the outlooks, shapes, and locations will likely be adjusted. Keep checking back with WeatherNation for more updates on this very strong and active pattern.

Strong Storms Persist After this Weekend

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Days of persistent rain have soaked much of Florida, with the latest 24-hour rainfall totals topping 5 inches. A slow-moving system has allowed moisture from the Gulf and the Atlantic to stream into the region, leading to heavy rainfall, localized flooding, and saturated soils.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 053452-1775648108603.png">An upper-level low, combined with a stalled boundary and an abundance of moisture, will lead to periods of heavy rain across the Sunshine State. Forecast models continue to show widespread showers and storms across Florida, especially during the afternoons through Thursday.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/04-08 rse fl-1775673608397.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Rainfall totals have quickly added up, with some areas seeing several inches in a short period of time. Flood watches are in effect for the coastline of Florida, as 1-3 inches of rainfall are still possible, with isolated totals over 5 inches possible due to heavy rain bands.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 054932-1775649199489.png">As a result, an excessive rainfall outlook has been issued for parts of the Atlantic Coast, with a level 2 out of 4, SLIGHT risk, for flash flooding through tomorrow.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 123910-1775673624526.png">This rain arrives at a critical time, as Florida’s drought conditions have worsened in the latest update. Much of the state is now experiencing extreme to exceptional drought (levels 4-5), which has already led to water restrictions.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-05 171122-1775430689163.png">So while this rain is much-needed for a drought-stricken state, it also raises concerns for flooding, making this a week of both relief and risk across Florida.

Farthest Humans Ever from Earth: Artemis II

Strong Storms Persist After this Weekend

Rain Finally Slowing in Florida

Front Stalls Over the Central Plains

West Pattern: Moisture Returns + New Winter Alerts for California

Farthest Humans Ever from Earth: Artemis II

Strong Storms Persist After this Weekend

Rain Finally Slowing in Florida

Front Stalls Over the Central Plains

West Pattern: Moisture Returns + New Winter Alerts for California

Farthest Humans Ever from Earth: Artemis II

Strong Storms Persist After this Weekend

Rain Finally Slowing in Florida