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 Credit: National Parks ServiceSpring is fast approaching, and so are the blooms of flowers all across North America. This includes the famous cherry tree bloom around the National Mall in Washington, D.C.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-06 080027-1772810872599.png">On Thursday, March 5th, the National Park Service announced its projected peak cherry blossom date for 2026. The peak is expected around late March into early April (between the 31st and 2nd). Still, the forecast for the peak is generally difficult to make beyond ten days, as blossoms will be impacted by weather conditions. Check back in for updates!<h2>What is "peak bloom"?</h2>The peak bloom date is defined as the day when 70% of the Yoshino Cherry blossoms are open, one of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/types-of-trees.htm">many types of cherry trees</a> in the area. Peak bloom usually lasts for several days, with the blooms taking <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/bloom-watch.htm">about two to three weeks to reach peak</a> after the appearance of green buds. As buds begin to appear, the forecast peak date will be updated by National Park Service horticulturists.<h2>Past Blooms</h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-06 080035-1772811048593.png"> Due to variable weather conditions, peak bloom has occurred as early as March 15th (1990) and as late as April 18th (1958).Visiting the blossoming cherry trees has become a favorite springtime tradition for Americans and tourists alike, dating back to 1912 when Japan gifted the U.S. about 3,000 cherry trees. The cherry trees in Japan have been putting on a show for thousands of years, with the dates of blooms being <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/date-of-the-peak-cherry-tree-blossom-in-kyoto">recorded all the way back to the 9th century</a>. The dates for this year's peak blooms in Japan are expected from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.japan-guide.com/sakura/">late March through late April</a> from north to south across the nation.

Dave Holder

Peak Cherry Blossom Forecast Released For 2026

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A series of powerful low pressure system has spawned several violent tornadoes over the last few days. Parts of Oklahoma and Michigan, and potentially Arkansas, saw significant impacts form tornadoes, including multiple deaths. More information about these tornadoes and their ratings can be found here.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2030033898915381363" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2030033898915381363?s=20"></div><h1>OVERNIGHT</h1>Storms continues to keep pushing eastward across the South tonight. The biggest threat will be wind and hail especially in Texas. Along with the severe threat will be flash flooding. As the sun has already set, it is very difficult to judge if you can drive through flood waters. Please REMEMBER TURN AROUND AND DON'T DROWN. The atmosphere has lots of moisture to be squeezed out in showers and storms.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/1-1772939398324.png">Sunday could also see a few strong storms from North Carolina to the Gulf Coast.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/1-1772939469553.png"><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/New Baron Video 3-1772939578493.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Have multiple ways to get severe weather warnings in the afternoon and evening hours. Brush up on your severe weather plan with <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/severe-weather-awareness-week-2026">SEVERE WEATHER AWARENESS WEEK</a>

Jesse Kelley

Deadly Storm System Moves East, Elevated Tornado Risk Continues

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Brittany Lockley

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Spring is almost here, yet it feels like summer. Unseasonably warm temperatures are spreading across much of the United States as a powerful ridge of high pressure builds over large portions of the country, sending temperatures soaring well above seasonal averages.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/2026-03-07 10-24-47-1772904314598.mkv" controls="true" width="100%"></video>From the Plains to the Midwest and parts of the East Coast, many cities are experiencing spring-like warmth more typical of late April or even early May. In some locations, temperatures have climbed into the 70s and 80s, shattering daily and even monthly records as warm air surges northward.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/1-1772939714846.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/1-1772939737895.png">The unusual warmth is being driven by a large dome of high pressure in the upper atmosphere, which is allowing warm air from the southern U.S. and Gulf region to spread across the country. This pattern not only boosts daytime temperatures but also keeps overnight lows unusually mild, limiting the amount of cooling that normally occurs this time of year. In several cities, early morning temperatures have been closer to typical afternoon highs for early March.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2029685892449796103" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2029685892449796103"></div>Next week, more record highs are likely especially for the eastern half of the country. With potential highs as far north as the Great Lakes, more severe weather and heavy rain will be in the cards.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/1-1772940022302.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/1-1772940042451.png">Tune in to WeatherNation for the very latest on your forecast, every hour.

Record-Breaking Heat Sweeps Across the Eastern United States

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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.

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On the heels of an active opening week to Meteorological Spring, another threat of severe weather will be in the cards for the first half of next week. So remember the upper low that caused severe weather this past weekend, the other half of the low will arrive starting Monday.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/New Baron Video 3-1772915032131.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Severe weather outlooks are already in place from Monday to Wednesday. Monday, the severe storms will be possible in the Deep South and expand northward as the upper low advances east. Some of the same areas from Texas into the Great Lakes will be at play for additional severe weather Tuesday and Wednesday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/1png-1772914586920.png">In addition, more heavy rain and flooding will be possible as the grounds are already saturated from the past week storms. The current thinking is the heaviest of the rain will be down in the South as an additional 2-4" will be likely!<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/New Baron Video 3-1772915418521.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/1-1772915307589.png">

Another Round of Severe Weather Likely Next Week

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A powerful early-March storm system unleashed a widespread severe weather outbreak across parts of the Plains and Midwest, producing tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail that left several communities dealing with significant destruction. The storms developed as warm, moisture-rich air surged north from the Gulf and collided with a strong cold front moving across the central United States. The combination of instability and strong wind shear created an environment favorable for intense thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes.&nbsp;<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/2026-03-07 04-44-42-1772883932550.mkv" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Severe storms erupted across several states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas,, and Illinois before tracking farther north into the Midwest and Great Lakes. Millions of people were placed under severe weather alerts as powerful thunderstorms developed along the advancing storm system. Some storms quickly intensified into supercells, capable of producing tornadoes and very large hail.&nbsp;<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2030128965650694479" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2030128965650694479"></div>One of the hardest hit areas was southern Michigan, where tornadoes damaged homes and buildings and caused multiple fatalities. Emergency crews responded to widespread damage after storms tore through communities overnight, leaving debris scattered across neighborhoods and knocking out power to thousands. In addition to the tornado threat, storms produced destructive straight-line winds and hail large enough to cause damage to vehicles, roofs and windows.&nbsp;&nbsp;<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2030093575778635918" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2030093575778635918"></div>Some of the storms produced hail larger than three inches in diameter along with wind gusts exceeding 70 miles per hour. Heavy rainfall also accompanied the storms, raising concerns for localized flooding in some areas.&nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-07 044225-1772883756529.png">&nbsp;The outbreak is notable because it occurred relatively early in the severe weather season and impacted a broad portion of the country from the Southern Plains to the Great Lakes. As the storm system continues to push east, an additional round of strong to severe thunderstorms could develop in parts of the eastern United States before conditions gradually improve.&nbsp;

Record-Breaking Heat Sweeps Across the Eastern United States

Another Round of Severe Weather Likely Next Week

Severe Weather Outbreak Brings Tornadoes and Destructive Storms to the Plains and Midwest

Peak Cherry Blossom Forecast Released For 2026

Deadly Storm System Moves East, Elevated Tornado Risk Continues

Record-Breaking Heat Sweeps Across the Eastern United States

Another Round of Severe Weather Likely Next Week

Severe Weather Outbreak Brings Tornadoes and Destructive Storms to the Plains and Midwest

Peak Cherry Blossom Forecast Released For 2026

Deadly Storm System Moves East, Elevated Tornado Risk Continues

Record-Breaking Heat Sweeps Across the Eastern United States

Another Round of Severe Weather Likely Next Week

Severe Weather Outbreak Brings Tornadoes and Destructive Storms to the Plains and Midwest