Kevin Schneider

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We've been locked in a relatively quiet stretch of late, when talking about severe storms. In fact, October is on a run of 11 straight days with only a MARGINAL or general thunderstorm risk. The nation hasn't seen this quite of a stretch since the end of February! This remarkably quiet jog will come to and end likely this weekend.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot 2025-10-15 091348-1760541236378.png">The same system that brought California some early season snow and heavy rain will move thorugh the Rockies. By this weekend, the stage will be set for storms that could bring damaging winds, large hail, and a few tornadoes.<h1>SETUP</h1>A strong cold front will drop through the southern plains Friday into Saturday. Ahead of it, warm temperatures - some that might threaten records - will greet it. The clash between the two air masses will help drive thunderstorms well up in the atmosphere.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot 2025-10-15 093129-1760542364613.png">That simple difference between hot and cold is enough to bet on, so much so that the Storm Prediction Center has highlighted an area along the Mid-Mississippi River Valley for severe storms. However, this far in advance of a system, there is plenty to still iron out.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot 2025-10-15 093313-1760542476983.png">Are there going to be storms? Likely. How strong to potentially severe will they be? That's up in the air. It's still a little too early to tell which fine-scale ingredients will be in play.<h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot 2025-10-15 093533-1760542706942.png">TIMING</h1>During <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://x.com/NWSBirmingham/status/1978445758908043673">secondary severe season</a>, you don't always know what you're going to get as far as timing. This event appears to be favoring the afternoon and evening hours on Saturday. However, there's plenty of time for that to change between now and then.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/2025-10-15 09-47-06-1760543310345.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h1>THREATS</h1>It's a little early to rule many specific threats. It does look like areas that have been abnormally dry recently could get a strong dousing of water, which could be tough to handle. Be sure to keep up with the forecast for the rest of the week, as we get a better sense of what will unfold this weekend.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot 2025-10-15 093956-1760543118412.png">

Strong Fall Front Fires Up Severe Chances This Weekend

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Brittany Lockley

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As of Wednesday, all evacuation orders have been lifted for Los Angeles after torrential rain fell over burned areas. The warnings were issued for areas with burn scars from earlier fires, like the Palisades, Hurst, and Sunset fire zones, due to the threat of mud and debris flows. Heavy rainfall, snow, and gusty winds continue to calm down for the southern half of the Golden State as a strong trough continues to move to the northeast.Rainfall reached up to 9 inches in California's Haines Canyon, in southern California. The threat of heavy rainfall and snow moves to the northern half of the state this morning.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/2025-10-15 03-23-08-1760520223806.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Rainfall totals appear impressive for an October storm system in California, considering it is early in the season for such heavy precipitation.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot 2025-10-14 200559-1760493964815.png"><h1>Rain &amp; Flooding</h1>Flash flooding and debris flows will be possible through early Wednesday despite the rain having already happened. The heaviest of the rain has occurred, with storm totals likely having been upwards of 3 inches, which keeps the burn-scarred areas of southern California from recent wildfires at risk.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot 2025-10-14 144824-1760474941902.png"><h1>Snowfall</h1>Once this event is complete by Wednesday afternoon, snowfall totals may have topped a foot or even two feet in the high Sierra, while areas around the Donner Pass can expect 6-12 inches at the summit. Here are snowfall totals as of Wednesday AM. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Web1-1760536071310.png">Winter Storm Warnings (Pink) and Winter Weather Advisories (Purple) have now been dropped for the Sierra Nevada Range but more winter alerts have been issued for areas like Jackson, WY as this system lifts to the NE. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Web2-1760535989343.png">Stay with Weather Nation for the latest, with your West Regional forecast every :50 past the hour.

Tracey Anthony

Sierra to the Rockies: Flooding Rain & Heavy Snow

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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!

Alana Cameron

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NORTHWEST - Winter weather advisories have been issued for Wyoming for snowfall totals between 1-4" above 6,000 feet, with heavier amounts between 6-10" in the higher elevations.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot 2025-10-14 200836-1760494199924.png">This next round will be much more scattered in nature and may take a day or so to really accumulate on the mountain peaks. Lower elevations are expected to see rainfall with all of the Pacific moisture being pulled into the northwest.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/10-14 rsw to rnw-1760494239589.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>From now through Friday, rain totals may reach an inch, and snowfall totals may surpass half a foot, especially in the Tetons, northern Rockies, and Bitteroots.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Web3-1760520196387.png">For more details on how this may impact temperatures, be sure to join us at :50 past the hour on TV for your west regional forecast.

Adrian Hernandez

Another Round of Snow for the Rockies and Tetons

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A ridge of high pressure has been responsible for the quiet and warm days across the central U.S., but on the western periphery of this ridge, a trough will attempt to slide in and ignite severe weather chances across the High Plains. The storms that are steered between these two upper-level systems are what we often refer to as "ridge-riding" thunderstorms.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/2025-10-15 03-10-25-1760519445285.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video> The Storm Prediction Center has issued a MARGINAL (level 1 out of 5) risk for Wednesday that covers a wide area. Some major cities included in this advisory are Casper, WY, Rapid City, SD, Denver, CO, and Albuquerque, NM. This outlook calls for all threats, including hail, damaging winds, and even an isolated tornado.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Web5-1760519487203.png">The tornado potential is small at only 2%, but the Storm Prediction Center believes it's not impossible for an isolated spin-up throughout Wednesday. This outlook includes cities like Alamosa, CO and Santa Fe, NM. If you're in these areas, make sure you have ways to receive instant weather updates in case anything does touch down.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Web4-1760519639644.png"> On Thursday, another MARGINAL (level 1 out of 5) risk is issued as the cold front shifts down into eastern Colorado and Western Kansas. The main threat in this advisory will be the potential for large hail.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/web9-1760519774185.png">The timing of these storms appears to intensify as temperatures rise. We can expect some rain to start for the western Plains as early as midday, but the severe component will be higher during the peak of afternoon heating. By Thursday, the cold front will move through this region, providing lift for thunderstorm development.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/2025-10-15 03-18-03-1760519913207.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Forecasted rainfall totals look to be highest across central Nebraska, where some may receive 1-1.5" of rainfall with isolated higher amounts. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Web8-1760520001302.png">Be sure to join us at :30 past the hour to see how this will impact your temperature forecast too!

Ridge Riding Thunderstorms in the Western Plains

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The 2025 Atlantic Hurricane Season has thus far been dominated by strong hurricanes, curving away from the United States with a few close calls/impacts from weaker systems. Don't let your guard down! October and even November can still churn out strong storms in the Gulf and Caribbean. That being said, we have another storm that will be picking on the fish in the Atlantic. Tropical Storm Lorenzo formed Monday morning and will stay well out to sea. About the only meteorologically significant nugget with Lorenzo is whether it will reach hurricane strength.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Web1-1760519192169.png">The Climate Prediction Center (CPC) has outlined a few regions with chances for tropical development through the middle/end of October.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot 2025-10-14 160355-1760479667679.png">Only about 12% of the seasonal energy remains (in terms of ACE, accumulated cyclone energy). With the three-week outlook from the Climate Prediction Center remaining empty for potential development, we may have made it out without a landfalling hurricane this season.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot 2025-10-14 161112-1760479992627.png"><h2>EASTERN PACIFIC</h2>The more active basin is still going. Another area of development is being monitored by the National Hurricane Center, but nothing is expected to form in the next few days. The next name on the list in the Eastern Pacific Basin is Sonia.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Screenshot 2025-10-14 202422-1760495070289.png">This is currently an area of investigation, denoted Invest 91E, which means we can take a look at the spaghetti models.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/10/Web3-1760519298408.png">Make sure to stay tuned to WeatherNation for the latest on the tropics.

Another Round of Snow for the Rockies and Tetons

Ridge Riding Thunderstorms in the Western Plains

Tropical Storm Lorenzo Spinning In the Atlantic

Strong Fall Front Fires Up Severe Chances This Weekend

Sierra to the Rockies: Flooding Rain & Heavy Snow

Another Round of Snow for the Rockies and Tetons

Ridge Riding Thunderstorms in the Western Plains

Tropical Storm Lorenzo Spinning In the Atlantic

Strong Fall Front Fires Up Severe Chances This Weekend

Sierra to the Rockies: Flooding Rain & Heavy Snow

Another Round of Snow for the Rockies and Tetons

Ridge Riding Thunderstorms in the Western Plains

Tropical Storm Lorenzo Spinning In the Atlantic