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!

Taban Sharifi

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Here comes the warmth again 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. Records can be seen all across the Northwest through Thursday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/web1-1768132888516.png">Temperatures on Tuesday will range from 20°- 30° above average! Downslope warming will help cities like Billings and Missoula potentially break multiple records this week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Billings, Montana, will be in the low 60s! This is almost 30 degrees above average! <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-12 073101-1768228269703.jpg"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-12 073122-1768228291154.jpg">The southwest will be above average as well. Most cities will be around 10-15 degrees above average. On Wednesday, Los Angeles will reach a high of 83°, almost 20° above the normal! The warmth will stick around for most of the week across the southwest.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-11 200153-1768186919020.png">There remains high confidence temperatures will remain above average across the west from January 17 - 21. The highest confidence is across California and Nevada.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-11 155716-1768172269110.png">For more information on your Western Regional forecast, tune into WeatherNation at :50 past the hour.

Kevin Schneider

Record Warmth in Store For the West

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<h1>Forecast Timing</h1>A trough of low pressure is expected to combine with a cold Arctic air mass, bringing the potential for snow, gusty winds, and wind chills in the teens across the mid-south and southeast. Wednesday night, a frontal boundary will drop down from the north, bringing snow chances across this portion of the country through Friday. This could impact travel, so make sure to stay with us for the latest updates.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/SNOWWWYYY-1768178020306.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h1>Snowfall Totals</h1>We are still a ways out, and the models are showing disagreement as far as snowfall totals. Our in-house model has come in notable drier overnight, with little in the way of accumulating snow in the Volunteer State. Higher elevations could see a few inches, however. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-12 061553-1768223763799.jpg">With the most recent run, the GFS model is following suit with some light numbers. When models start agreeing that's always a good sign, but a complex forecast means this bears watching trends.<h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-12 061814-1768223904561.jpg">Temperatures</h1>Gusty winds can create some cold wind chills on Friday morning, with the feel-like temperatures in the teens! Keep that in mind for your morning commute on Friday and grab the jacket heading out the door.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-11 155244-1768171968859.png">The Climate Prediction Center is leaning heavily toward below average temperatures from January 17 - 21. The highest confidence of this is across cities like Jacksonville, FL.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-11 155305-1768171992387.png">For the latest updates on this forecast, you can tune into WeatherNation :10 past the hour for your eastern regional forecast.

Flakes Could Fly as Far South as Tennessee This Week

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Most of the lower 48 has been missing out on a lot of Winter. Areas along the West Coast and Great Lakes have had an active Winter, but other than them, many along or east of the Rockies have been quiet so far. Not Alaska.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-07 100656-1767805655200.png">Heavy snowfall towards the end of 2025 was enough to sink boats around Juneau. By the end of the month, the airport in Juneau had measured more snow than any December prior, and it wasn't even close! Over 80 inches of snow fell throughout the month, with multiple daily records sprinkled in.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-07 100846-1767805743282.png">We spoke with the National Weather Service office in Juneau, Alaska to learn more about this historic snowfall.UPDATE: January 11th, 2026<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3FsdYGphtqE" start="0"></iframe></div><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/zhaLChRQkac" start="0"></iframe></div>Since 2026 has rolled around, it has only kept snowing. Areas from Anchorage to Haines have picked up close to 20 more inches of snow has fallen. Not to mention it's been coming in with limited visibility with some blizzard conditions. Another system moving in threatens to bring warmer temperatures along with additional precipitation.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-07 101334-1767806446476.png">Residents have been asked to clear any clogged storm drain nearby, with officials giving the okay to dump "clean" snow into nearby bodies of water. The weight of the snow has caved in roofs in addition to sinking boats in local harbors.<h1>WHY ARE WARM TEMPERATURES BAD</h1>You would think a nice thawing out would help ease problems in Alaska but it could actually cause more harm. If temperatures warm enough to end the week, rain falling on top of snow will help rapidly melt the pack. Then, everything is running off, not just the rain. This could lead to significant flooding in the area.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-12 073534-1768228678077.jpg"><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/2026-01-12 07-37-04-1768228685920.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>

Record Snowfall Sinking Boats in Alaska

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The Northeastern U.S. has been one of the more active regions of the country so far this winter in terms of ice and snow, with plenty piling up around the Great Lakes and into New England. A warmer system brought rain and gusty winds to the Northeast on Friday, but another wet and colder system keeps some snow around through tonight. Winter Weather Alerts (above) have been issued for parts of New England. <h1>Looking Ahead This Week</h1>Another wave of rain, snow, and cool air will keep the Northeast active this week.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-11 154414-1768171512872.png">Moisture will start out over the Great Lakes and move into the Northeast. Areas across the Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley will also see some rain and snow out of this next wave midweek.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/0111-1768171578207.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Accumulations will not be impactful, but this is still something to be on the lookout<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-11 200410-1768187056067.png"> for this week.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-11 154722-1768171648552.png"> Longer-range, the precipitation outlook for the Northeast has a drier than normal pattern.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-11 154814-1768171724103.png">Get the latest in the Northeast in the East Regional Forecast anytime with the WeatherNation app - or tune in live at :10 past the hour!

Alana Cameron

Snow Squalls In The Northeast

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Brittany Lockley

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It has been one year since the Palisades and Eaton fires burned through local communities in Los Angeles County on January 7, 2025. The lasting impacts are still being felt across the region, both on the ground and in the atmosphere. The fires took 31 lives and burned down 18,000 buildings and homes.&nbsp;The fires ignited during a period of extreme fire weather, fueled by prolonged drought, critically low humidity, and strong offshore winds. The Palisades&nbsp;fire initially started with an open flame in the Pacific Palisades neighborhood of Los Angeles. Firefighters were able to contain&nbsp;the flames above ground, but the fire continued to burn underground. At the time of ignition, relative humidity values dropped into the single digits, while wind gusts frequently exceeded 40 to 60 mph, creating ideal conditions for the rapid spread of the fire. The National Weather Service even issued a Particularly Dangerous Situation for these fires. These factors allowed flames to move miles in just hours, overwhelming containment efforts during the initial stages. The Palisades fire grew to 23,707 acres.&nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-07 041825-1767784832298.png">The Eaton Fire ignited in Altadena shortly after the Palisades Fire. In this fire, close to 10,000 homes were destroyed and 19 lives were lost, as the fire ravaged 14,021 acres by the time of its containment on January 31, 2024.&nbsp;<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/2026-01-07 04-18-40-1767784809714.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Rainfall deficits leading up to the fires played a major role in their intensity. Many areas had received less than 50 percent of their average precipitation over the previous 6 to 12 months, resulting in exceptionally dry vegetation. Live fuel moisture levels were near record lows for late season, and energy release components, an index used to measure potential fire intensity, were well above climatological averages. &nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-07 040748-1767784265056.png">Once the fires were established, towering smoke plumes injected particulates high into the atmosphere, degrading air quality across hundreds of miles and prompting repeated air quality alerts as fine particulate concentrations surged well above health-based thresholds.&nbsp;<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/2025-12_2025-01-09_g18_abi_meso_geocolor-fires-1767898580832.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>In the aftermath, the weather continued to complicate recovery. The first significant rain events following the fires produced short bursts of heavy rainfall, falling on soils unable to absorb water efficiently. Rainfall rates of just a half inch per hour were enough to trigger runoff, mudslides, and debris flows within burn scars. Damaging roads and infrastructure months after the flames were extinguished. Emergency managers were forced to pivot from wildfire response to managing the floods, highlighting the compound risks associated with extreme weather.&nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-07 091018-1767802242571.png">A year later, both fires are on California's most destructive fires list. Weather and climate data show early signs of ecological recovery, but also ongoing vulnerability. Native grasses and shrubs have begun to return, aided by winter&nbsp;rainfall.&nbsp;The Palisades and Eaton fires now serve as a stark example of how weather extremes, heat, wind, drought, and heavy rainfall are reshaping wildfire behavior. &nbsp;

Jesse Kelley

One Year Later: Palisades and Eaton Fires

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