Kevin Schneider

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WEST - Heatwave would be putting this stretch of extreme weather mildly. One of the most intense heat events the U.S. has seen since record-keeping began is unfolding. After a weekend where all-time March record highs fell like dominoes, the heat this week will put hundreds more daily high temperature records in danger. Another batch of records broke on Tuesday including Denver, reaching 81 degrees!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-24 175134-1774396301332.png">While parts of the central U.S. will get a quick break, the southwest will still be a scorcher. This is a marathon that will likely continue through the end of the week.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 031327-1774430028491.png">Afternoon highs in several locations are expected to climb back into the 100s, shattering daily temperature records and creating a dramatic contrast from the colder conditions that typically dominate early March. In some areas, temperatures are running 20 to 40 degrees above seasonal averages.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 031428-1774430078668.png"><h2>Central U.S.</h2>Hundreds of potential records may break this week throughout the nation, each pink dot denotes a city that may break or tie a record high.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-24 174948-1774396201477.png">On Thursday many spots may rise into the 90s! For cities like Kansas City that's 30 degrees above average.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 031709-1774430246238.png">Late Thursday, a cold front swings through to bring some of us a significant temperature drop on Friday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 031800-1774430291105.png">The Climate Prediction Center has a high confidence that temperatures will stay above normal through the end of March.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-24 174847-1774396132757.png">

Patrick Crawford

More Records Obliterated - Heat Seeping into Central U.S.

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Adrian Hernandez

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It's been unbearably warm across the west for a good minute now. This mainly due to a ridge of high pressure, which causes the air to sink and heat up. Pair this with a frontal boundary and now you have gusty, dry and warm winds east of the Rockies, ripe conditions for fire danger. We're already getting reports out west where the winds have topped out at 78 mph in Montana!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 081534-1774448144691.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 081803-1774448301637.png">Widespread Red Flag Warnings have been issued for Wyoming and Nebraska. With most of them lasting through Thursday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 080714-1774447647567.png">More updates on the more recent 24 fire has shown some more containment. However, another more recent fire broke out south of Albuquerque, the Unified Fire. Crews already out there working on getting it under control.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 081247-1774447986727.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 081235-1774447996816.png">Keep it locked in on WeatherNation, as we continue to update you on these fires and their impacts!

Fire Danger Plagues an Already Blistering West

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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!

Taban Sharifi

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It's the season of swings! Baseball counts but that's not what we're talking about right now. Temperature swings! Temperatures will climb this week ahead of our approaching front, soaring into the 70's and 80's by Wednesday and Thursday. The front is going to drop through the Midwest later this week, igniting another round of severe chances. As the front moves into warmer temperatures, more energy and instability will build ahead and along the front.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 072932-1774445376682.png">That should provide enough fuel for storms by the end of the week. Right now, the Storm Prediction Center is highlighting areas in the mid-Mississippi River and Ohio River Valleys with the highest chance on Thursday. The current outlook is a SLIGHT risk, level 2 out of 5.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 030511-1774429523660.png">There are a couple significant threats with these storms to watch out for. One of those is the significant tornado threat. Meaning, if there is a tornado, there is the potential for it to be a stronger tornado. Right now, the outlook has the threat of an EF2 or stronger possible in the red highlighted areas.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 072355-1774445116018.png">Another significant threat is for hail. Cities like Chicago, St. Louis, and Indianapolis have the threat of 2"+ hailstones. Severe hail potential begins at 1".<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 072359-1774445192069.png">The heaviest of the rainfall will span across Indiana and Ohio. There is an isolated threat for flooding to watch for. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-25 030607-1774429585098.png">Some rain will likely be ongoing Thursday morning. Watch as they drop south into better ingredients by the afternoon<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/0325-1774445570153.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>

Sharp Front Sparks More Severe Chances Late 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 Credit: National Parks Service<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8V6xqwukzO0" start="0"></iframe></div>Spring 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.

Cherry Blossoms Expected to Peak in a Week

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Originally born in Spokane, Washington,  Jackie's Dad was in the Air Force which led her to a life of travel. She has lived in Wichita, Okinawa, Japan, Baltimore, New Jersey, Indiana and South Carolina.  After graduating from Kadena High School, in Okinawa Japan, she got a full basketball scholarship to Coppin State College. On the court she was a 4-year starter and reached over 1000 points in her basketball career. She was also named Athlete of the Year for the whole university in 2002. Off the court, she earned a degree in Broadcast Production/English.

After college, she landed a job as a radio personality. Jackie went on to have a successful career for 12 years working at KXLY broadcast center. While on the radio, she decided to change career. Jackie went back to school, graduating from the Mississippi State Meteorology Broadcast Program. From snow, to tornadoes, to hurricanes, she has had experience forecasting all these events.

Jackie Brown

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Heavy rainfall from moisture that inundated the Hawaiian Islands late last week is on the move. It's being funneled around an area of high pressure, taking aim at the Pacific Northwest. Thankfully, it won't be nearly as heavy or intense as what Hawaii faced.Related: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/flash-flood-emergency-for-oahu-additional-rain-expected-for-hawaii">Kona Low Recap</a>This round looks like it will be a little different than the previous round, which brought only rain to the area. Snow levels with this system will drop a bit, bringing a shot at some wintry impacts to the mountain passes.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-24 033707-1774345071882.png">An active Jetstream will bring more energy into the region on Tuesday. That's when you can expect the most widespread rain, with only scattered coverage from Wednesday onward.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/2026-03-24 03-38-07-1774345113637.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>There will be winds with this latest batch, with some of the mountain peaks expecting the worst of them. Sporadic power outages will be possible.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-24 033943-1774345194700.png">Make sure you're staying tuned to WeatherNation for your northwest forecast at :50 past the hour!

Sharp Front Sparks More Severe Chances Late Week

Cherry Blossoms Expected to Peak in a Week

Pineapple Express Delivers Another Round of Rain

More Records Obliterated - Heat Seeping into Central U.S.

Fire Danger Plagues an Already Blistering West

Sharp Front Sparks More Severe Chances Late Week

Cherry Blossoms Expected to Peak in a Week

Pineapple Express Delivers Another Round of Rain

More Records Obliterated - Heat Seeping into Central U.S.

Fire Danger Plagues an Already Blistering West

Sharp Front Sparks More Severe Chances Late Week

Cherry Blossoms Expected to Peak in a Week

Pineapple Express Delivers Another Round of Rain