Kevin Schneider

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Rounds of rain are set to return to the Southeast through the end of April, offering some much-needed moisture to a region that has been dealing with unusually dry conditions. While several systems are expected to bring periods of steady rain and thunderstorms, the rainfall will likely fall short of fully reversing the ongoing drought. Many areas across the region have recorded well below-average precipitation in recent weeks, leaving soils parched and waterways running low.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-25 080049-1777125658800.png">Even with pockets of heavier rain, totals will be inconsistent, meaning not all drought-stricken locations will benefit equally. Some communities could see meaningful improvement, but others may miss out on the heaviest downpours altogether. This uneven distribution limits the overall impact and slows any long-term recovery.&nbsp;<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/0426-1777241570361.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>The heaviest of the rainfall over the next few days looks to be across Mississippi and Alabama. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-26 161432-1777241678426.png">The continued dryness has also heightened wildfire concerns across parts of the Southeast. There are still several fires burning between Georgia and Florida that are spreading smoke across the Southeast. If you have upper respiratory issues, limit the time spent outdoors. The air quality near these fires could be significantly impacted.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-26 161338-1777241622465.png">A front looks to push in midweek and might give us a chance to see more meaningful rainfall. However, it might not get all of us - latest models are avoiding northern Florida/southern Georgia, where we desperately need it.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-26 055547-1777204589187.jpg">More details on your Eastern Regional Forecast can be found :10 past the hour on WeatherNation.

Taban Sharifi

Southeast Rain Brings Relief, But Drought and Wildfire Threats Persist

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Taban Sharifi grew up in Southern California between Los Angeles and San Diego. She is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) with the American Meteorological Society (AMS). She has a B.S. in Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Environmental Sciences with a minor in Environmental Systems and Society from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Go Bruins! While in school, Taban was a meteorology intern with NBC LA. There she helped forecast daily weather for the greater Los Angeles region and created a playbook to deploy weather sensors for NBC owned-and-operated stations across the country. Her first on-air job took her to San Angelo, Texas, where she was a morning meteorologist and co-anchor. Working in West Texas gave her knowledge and experience covering severe storms. From there, she moved to Palm Springs, California. People think forecasting in California is sunshine all the time, but with temperatures in the 120’s, wildfires, damaging winds, floodings, and earthquakes, the forecasting kept her very busy! She also worked there as a general assignment reporter and told community stories. Taban is excited for the challenge and opportunity to forecast nationally with WeatherNation. She also looks forward to exploring all that Colorado has to offer!

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Several rounds of severe storms are expected to impact the middle of the country through the early part of the week! This type of pattern can create severe fatigue, but residents need to remain vigilant to be on alert for multiple days of severe storms. There is an enhanced risk for severe storms through tonight (above). There are significant threats, including larger tornadoes and larger hailstones. <div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2048061975142322502" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2048061975142322502"></div>Monday also already has an enhanced threat for severe weather. This risk includes cities like Chicago, St. Louis, and Paducah. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-26 160435-1777241080773.png">There is a level 2 significant threat for tornadoes. This means, cities like Dubuque, Peoria, and Quincy have the potential not only for a tornado, but an EF3+ tornado. You need to know where your safe place is in case you get a tornado warning for your city.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-26 160952-1777241399867.png">Severe weather threats continue into Tuesday. There is a slight risk in place for parts of Texas through Kentucky. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-26 160533-1777241167187.png">With several rounds of severe thunderstorms expected, heavy rain will add up over the next week. Thankfully, this will not all come at once, but isolated flash flooding will remain a possibility with each system.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-25 123650-1777142218389.png">

Severe Weather: Continues Through Tuesday

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WEST - After the latest system to impact California moved east, the Golden State is enjoying sunshine and comfortable temperatures. Our latest system is moving through the Rockies, bringing additional rain and snow chances to many western states.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-24 170959-1777072212163.png">Rain and high-elevation snow chances will ramp up today and tomorrow, which could bring back renewed slick roadways on some mountain passes. Upper-level energy will spread east through the weekend, and the Rockies could be the biggest winner with the higher elevations picking up over a foot of snow. Winter Weather Advisories are now up for parts of Wyoming and Colorado Sunday night into Monday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-26 134954-1777233004516.png"><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/04-26 west-1777233067273.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-26 135021-1777233060802.png">In the long term, the Weather Prediction Center keeps the 4-Corners region in the green with confidence in above-average precipitation heading into May.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-26 061548-1777198559152.png">

Alana Cameron

West Staying Active this Week

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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

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Top Image: Brett Adair<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ikRBAKESm0k" start="0"></iframe></div>Several strong tornadoes tore across portions of the Great Plains and Midwest on Thursday, causing damage, notably in the town of Enid, Oklahoma. WeatherNation field correspondent Brett Adair captured a different tornado near Braman, Oklahoma (below). In contrast, correspondents Brandon Clement and Jonathan Petramala caught the Enid tornado during and after its tear through town.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2047770214519992738" src="https://x.com/NWSNorman/status/2047770214519992738"></div><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2047512666902823257" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2047512666902823257"></div>Jonathan provided an update late Thursday as emergency crews were combing through collapsed buildings in Enid. Thankfully, the Sheriff's office has reported only minor injuries so far.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2047616538031604204" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2047616538031604204"></div>Tornado warnings were issued across six different states on Thursday, with about 21 reports of tornadoes coming in. Some of those reports will be from the same tornado, so we'll have to wait for damage surveys to confirm numbers and intensity (EF) ratings.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-24 071558-1777036595398.png">Aside from the tornado warnings, severe thunderstorms were numerous on Friday! Storms produced hurricane-force wind gusts and hail up to the size of softballs!<h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-24 071653-1777036618310.png">Radar Review</h1>The Braman and Enid tornadoes formed from supercell thunderstorms, each producing a classic "hook echo" while the tornadoes were mature. The storms eventually congealed into a line that produced additional severe weather and heavy rain, leading to flash flood warnings.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-24 09-30-40-1777044754991.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Farther north, tornado warnings started earlier in the day for areas around the I-29 corridor, with a picturesque tornado captured near Little Sioux, IA (video below the radar loop). Additional severe storms, including confirmed tornadoes, formed through the afternoon and into the evening. You can see the squall line with a tornado-warned storm move through the Kansas City area in the evening. This occurred while the Chiefs were making their selection in the NFL draft, forcing some personnel around the building to huddle near the draft room, which is in the middle of the building (a safer location to shelter from a tornado).<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-24 09-31-58-1777044771886.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2047473094671888669" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2047473094671888669"></div>This story will be updated with tornado damage surveys as they come in. Check back for updates!

Looking Back at Last Week's Severe Storms

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Tracey Anthony

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Flooding continues to be a serious threat across the Great Lakes region, with alerts remaining in effect, particularly along creeks, streams, and rivers. Heavy rain and severe storms arrived on top of spring snowmelt, making the typical &amp; gradual snowmelt a thing of the past.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2046952167316054057" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2046952167316054057"></div>A big part of this flood setup can be traced to Michigan's Upper Peninsula, where a very snowy winter left a large amount of water locked into the snowpack.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/WEB 1-1777036607177.png">At the same time, Milwaukee had already set a new April precipitation record by April 16, surpassing the old record of 7.38 inches from 2013! &nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/pic5-1777122762558.png">More rain arriving by Sunday will be an insult to injury for these already swollen rivers, creeks, and streams.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-26 063707-1777199846282.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-26 063736-1777199867782.png">For more on your central regional forecast, tune into WeatherNation :30 past the hour.

West Staying Active this Week

Looking Back at Last Week's Severe Storms

Record Snow, Record Rain, Rising Rivers

Southeast Rain Brings Relief, But Drought and Wildfire Threats Persist

Severe Weather: Continues Through Tuesday

West Staying Active this Week

Looking Back at Last Week's Severe Storms

Record Snow, Record Rain, Rising Rivers

Southeast Rain Brings Relief, But Drought and Wildfire Threats Persist

Severe Weather: Continues Through Tuesday

West Staying Active this Week

Looking Back at Last Week's Severe Storms

Record Snow, Record Rain, Rising Rivers