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<div>Lucy is originally from the Boston area but has spent the last four years forecasting and living in Colorado! She stayed in the northeast for her education, graduating Summa Cum Laude from SUNY Oswego with a B.S. in Meteorology. Just a few days after graduation, she made the cross country move to Colorado Springs, CO to begin her career at KKTV, the CBS affiliate. Lucy has covered historic blizzards, tornadoes, windstorms, the largest wildfires in Colorado state history and dust storms ... they truly "get it all" in Colorado! Lucy is excited to forecast on a national level and continue her passion of explaining the science behind the weather!</div>
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Lucy Bergemann

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<p>The California Department of Water Resources (DWR) conducted their monthly winter snow survey in the Sierra Nevada on Wednesday. Thanks to an extremely active January, the snowpack at Philips Station is193% of normal for February 1st and this was the highest snow measurement on February 1 in 6 years at the station!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/percent of average-1675371863177.JPG"></p><p>Statewide, the percent of average for February 1 is at 205%, mostly from a well above average snowpack through the southern Sierra. Snowfall over the three week period from late December through mid January was 20 feet at Mammoth mountain with many spots in the northern Sierra experiencing well over 9 feet of fresh snow. Snowpack is important to California's water supply, providing roughly 30% of the state's water needs.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/snow reports cali-1675371853570.JPG"></p><p>Snowpack usually peaks on April 1, and at this point the state is at 129% meaning we have already hit our typical snowpack/snow depth seen in early April. In February 2022 we were only at 58% of what we should see by April 1. It is important to note that this is a marathon, not a sprint and despite the fast pace to the winter season so far, there is still time to go. According to DWR,</p><blockquote><p>"<span style="color: black">Every day it does not rain or snow, the conditions are drying. If California returns to dry conditions and the next two months lack additional precipitation, like what the state experienced last season, a significant snowpack early in the winter can quickly disappear. Periodic rain and snow over the next several months will be key to get the biggest water supply benefit from the state’s snowpack without posing additional flood risks."</span></p></blockquote><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1620915049585074176" src="https://twitter.com/CA_DWR/status/1620915049585074176"></div><p style="text-align: start">Snow surveys are performed monthly, with the last survey on January 1, 2023 and another one set for March 1, 2023.</p>

California Snowpack Update: Highest Snow Reading in 6 Years

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<p>It's official: 6 more weeks of winter according to Punxsutawney Phil who saw his shadow this morning. With only a 40% accuracy rate, we will leave the official forecasting up to our team of meteorologists! Groundhog day is a tradition dating back to German settlers in the U.S. who brought over the Christian holiday of 'Candlemas Day' on February 2nd. According to <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://groundhog.org">groundhog.org</a>, "<span style="color: rgb(33, 33, 33)">according to German lore, the hedgehog saw his shadow on Candlemas Day there would be a “Second Winter” or 6 more weeks of bad weather". When settlers came to the U.S. hedgehogs were not as available as the groundhog, so a switch of animal occurred. </span></p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/groundhog-1675198180790.JPG"><span style="color: rgb(33, 33, 33)">The first official groundhog day was on February 2, 1886, in Punxsutawney, PA. Looking back at the years, Phil has seen his shadow, and thus predicted 6 more weeks of winter the vast majority of the time - a whopping 85% of the time. Most recently, Phil saw his shadow in 2022 and 2023. </span></p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/phils stats-1675198118061.JPG">Regardless of the rodent forecast, WeatherNation will have the most up to date winter (and Spring) forecast information always streaming 24/7!</p>

Groundhog Day 2023: 6 More Weeks of Winter

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<p>The Storm Prediction Center has released a preliminary count on the number of tornadoes during the month of January 2023. So far, there have been 124 confirmed tornadoes in 16 states, which is the third most on record for the winter month. The tornadoes included 2 in northern California, during one of our many atmospheric river events at the beginning of the month. There was a tornado outbreak in Alabama, Georgia and Mississippi on Thursday, January 12, killing 9 people.</p><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1613702503266123787" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1613702503266123787"></div><p>Another tornado outbreak on January 24 produced a powerful EF-3 tornado in the Houston suburbs. </p><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1618017281056931840" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1618017281056931840"></div><p>2023 is ranked third in most January tornadoes, after 1999 and 2017 which had 212 and 137 tornadoes, respectively. We also had numerous tornado watches issued, with a total of 25! This also ranks third for the most number of tornado watches in the month of January. </p><p></p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/Fn5PvxqagAAbplR-1675279384840.jpg"></p><p>We had numerous days under the "ENHANCED" risk category by the SPC, which is a level 3 out of 5 threat. In total, there was an enhanced outlook 5 days: on the 2, 3, 12, 19 and 24 of the month. This is the most days in January since the enhanced category was added in 2014. Not only were there tornadoes, but also damaging wind and hail reports. According to the SPC, there were a total of 793 severe weather reports which is nearly double the January monthly average (10 year average). </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/Fn5QyXLaYAMg0BQ-1675279403599.jpg">For more on the severe weather potential in the forecast, join WeatherNation always streaming 24/7. </p>

January 2023: Over 120 Confirmed Tornadoes

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Karissa is the Director of On-Air Operations at WeatherNation. Karissa grew up loving math and science, but really fell in love with Meteorology while attending the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. After two summers of storm chasing in the central plains, she knew that it was the career path for her. Standing in front of a thunderstorm and feeling the cool outflow knock her over was an experience she will never forget. After two years at COD, she transferred to Metropolitan State University of Denver. Karissa graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Science in Meteorology. Her high school and college speech and meteorology professors were extremely supportive and pushed her to succeed. Before joining the WeatherNation team, she previously worked as the Morning Meteorologist at KCAU-TV in Sioux City, Iowa and at WMBD-TV in Peoria, IL. She recently was part of a National Edward R. Murrow award winning team for breaking news for their coverage of the EF-4 tornado in Washington, Illinois. In her free time, Karissa enjoys cooking and trying new foods. She is a self proclaimed 'TV Junkie' who can get into just about any show. She is a die hard Chicago sports fan who loves attending professional sporting events.

Karissa Klos

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<p>We saw 18 billion dollar disasters in 2022, including 3 hurricane events (Ian, Nicole and Fiona) causing over $165 Billion dollars in damage. At WeatherNation, we are part of NOAA's Weather Ready Nation and want to help you prepare, before the next storm. This week we are taking a look back at the 2022 Weather Year and looking forward to how we can best prepare for Mother Nature going forward. We spoke to multiple relief organization that are on the ground before, during and after disasters on what they experience with survivors of natural disasters. You can catch stories and tips through this week (Monday, January 23 - Friday, January 27) on WeatherNation. https://youtu.be/XGHP3MKP3YE</p><h1>Disaster Response</h1><p> To learn more, check out their website: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://minutemanresponse.org">minutemanresponse.org</a></p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Db6ERMiSS38" start="0"></iframe></div><h1>Tips for Preparing for the Future</h1><p></p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/H_TCBtSM3dU" start="0"></iframe></div><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/QJqrWxu0v7E" start="0"></iframe></div><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ivRLjMIrckw" start="0"></iframe></div><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/rBFXl-w7bL0" start="0"></iframe></div><h1>Recapping the Billion Dollar Disasters</h1><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MiVky6hwzUQ" start="0"></iframe></div><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/lgIvahY7SlA" start="0"></iframe></div><p></p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/6n_NMKxAZ3U" start="0"></iframe></div>

Billion Dollar Disasters: Learning from the Past, Preparing for the Future

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Summer of 1993, New England Dragway. That's when and where Steve knew he wanted to become a meteorologist. More than 20 years later he is extremely fortunate and blessed to be able to live his childhood dream. As a lover of math and science, Steve had a consistent interest in weather in elementary, middle, and high school before discovering you can major in meteorology. He attended Lyndon State College in Vermont where he received a bachelor's in meteorology-broadcasting and associate's in television news. He has worked as a meteorologist and reporter in Winchester, VA, Burlington, VT, and most recently in West Palm Beach, FL. He's recognized by the American Meteorological Society with the Certification of Broadcast Meteorologists.

Steven Glazier

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<p>In 2022, Ken Graham was selected as the newest director of the National Weather Service after leading the National Hurricane Center. Ken has been busy in his first year as NWS Director and we had the chance to catch up with him at the annual meeting of the American Meteorological Society. Scroll down for our video story with Ken. Here is the Q &amp; A transcript from that interaction! </p><hr><p><strong>WeatherNation: Happy New Year! In 2023, what are some of your (NWS) resolutions and goals?</strong> </p><p><strong>Ken</strong>: “It’s been amazing so far, several months into the job. Going forward, we’re looking at a more nimble, flexible, and mobile NWS that is eye-to-eye with decision makers. I’m excited about that. Looking at 2023, I really want to be on the front lines more than ever to help with these tough decisions because it’s getting busier and busier.” </p><hr><p><strong>WeatherNation:&nbsp; Can you explain being on the front lines?</strong> </p><p><strong>Ken:</strong> “Over the years we’ve done a great job deploying to emergency management centers and have been on the front lines with our incident meteorologists fighting fires. We’re going to try to do that more. We are going to try to look at our parties in the NWS and narrow those down, focus on the mission, and really enable all of our forecasters to have the tools that they have in the office, and get those emergency operations center and on the front lines, help with those tough decisions.” </p><hr><p><strong>WeatherNation:&nbsp;After we had 18 separate billion-dollar disasters in 2022, what can we do to limit the loss of life and costly damages this year?</strong> </p><p><strong>Ken:</strong> “It is interesting to look at 18 different billion-dollar weather events and that is increasing too. We seem to be setting records all the time with some of these things and it’s pretty consistent with the changing climate. We get these extreme events, we get these longer droughts that are interrupted by big floods, and that’s pretty consistent with the changing climate. So going forward, we have to accept that this is the way it seems to be and it’s probably not going to change. So how do we get ready for that? We need the public’s help. What used to happen, doesn’t mean that’s the way it’s going to happen in the future. So you can’t compare the past. We can’t compare the previous storm. So we’ve got to be ready and we’ve got to be prepared. We have to have a perception of that risk and then mitigate that risk in our own plans, but we need everybody’s help in order to do that.” </p><hr><p><strong>WeatherNation:&nbsp;What other individual actions can people take to stay safe this year?</strong> </p><p><strong>Ken:</strong> “One of the biggest things is to make sure you have the information that you need. Look at how far forecasting has come, the modeling, and the NWS forecasts. The forecasts are getting very, very good. We need help with people understanding the information. Lean that ahead of time. Don’t learn that during a storm because it’s stressful enough. Have that plan, have a way to get that information, and if you live in a flood zone area, have a safe place. We need everybody to be proactive with how they’re able to protect themselves and their families. Here’s a big thing: If you don’t know, ask! We have emergency managers wanting to help, we have all sorts of people at the NWS willing to help, everybody in the media, we’re all here to help. If you have questions about it, ask!”</p><hr><p><strong>WeatherNation:&nbsp;What are ways families can prepare for severe weather by making it a game, or fun?</strong></p><p><strong>Ken:</strong> Make a mock scenario. Learning differently is big. We have repetitive messages and we do it all the time, but we’re still losing people in that last mile. It comes down to a good forecast, good communications, and these things are converted to impacts, but people are still dying. Why? It becomes a behavioral science issue. It becomes an issue of risk perception. How do we combat that? We teach differently! Maybe it’s a game. Maybe it’s a different way to communicate. Maybe we have to communicate in churches or underrepresented communities because if you look at the data, every time we have a big storm it’s the underrepresented groups that are losing their life the most. It’s the elderly, the economically challenged that don’t have a means of getting a hotel to evacuate. We have to talk about that more and as an entire weather enterprise, we have to make sure we get into those vulnerable communities, get them the information that they need, then we’re going to save more lives than ever.</p><hr><p><strong>WeatherNation:&nbsp;This is a new role for you. Are there any things your most proud of accomplishing yet?</strong> </p><p><strong>Ken:</strong> “I think the biggest thing is that I leaped out with the vision for the National Weather Service. Think about going out quickly and saying we’re going to be more nimble, we’re going to be more flexible, we’re going to be more mobile than ever. It’s huge! And we have other things going on, such as priorities I set forth for our people, our infrastructure, and our future. I have a “Ken’s Ten” list of priorities that we’re really trying to focus on, real mission items to shore up to protect lives. I’m so proud of that. The biggest thing is, I can’t even describe how humble I am to serve the people of the National Weather Service. I get really humble thinking about the NWS 24/7 operations, they’re always there, they work so hard and they’re so passionate and I’m the one who’s able to serve them.” </p><hr><p><strong>WeatherNation:&nbsp;Is there anything else you’d like to add?</strong> </p><p><strong>Ken:</strong> I think as we get into 2023, we’re on this pace to have more severe events, more floods, more winter events, more hurricanes, and together we have to figure out how to get information to those who need it the most. We’re working on it to be language, accessibility, our website. We are going to improve our website, make it lighter, and more accessible to everybody. We are going to have tools for our forecasters to do anything in the office, anywhere. So we are getting ready for the next big storm, and I really ask everyone to get ready themselves because we’re trying, but we need your help to truly save lives.” </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/LZWlErGMyRc" start="0"></iframe></div>

Interview: New NWS Director Ken Graham Speaks With WeatherNation

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It is with great sadness we share that our long time friend and coworker John Van Pelt has passed away. John was a dedicated Field Correspondent for WeatherNation for 9 years, covering hundreds of severe weather events. From hurricanes to winter storms to severe weather, John was an integral member of our team. He had an incredible passion for reporting accurate conditions and preparedness information from the field. John was a regular at the Kennedy Space Center, covering numerous satellite and rocket launches for WeatherNation. John was one of the kindest, funniest people, who always kept us smiling and laughing, with an incredible dedication to his work and family. We will miss you dearly JVP.

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John started his career in radio as a part-timer at several stations in Raleigh, NC while in high school and college. His first fulltime job took him to Myrtle Beach, SC, where in 1979, he went through the preparations for and coverage of Hurricane David as it raked the Grand Strand. That spurred his interest in severe weather and disaster preparedness. After returning to Raleigh and NC State University, he continued in radio for several years, before becoming a Macintosh consultant, specializing in digital audio and video creation &amp; editing. Becoming an Amateur Radio operator for the specific purpose of joining the National Weather Service Skywarn volunteer program, he was involved in several ‘World’s Firsts’, with the first 24/7 wireless mobile weather webcam in 1999 and the first 24/7 mobile wireless weather station in 2001. From hurricanes, with the help of fellow Ham, Danny Musten, John initiated the first Internet Radio Linking Project (voip) report to the National Hurricane Center, with a portable ham radio from Hurricane Lili, in 2002. He also originated the first EchoLink (voip) hurricane report from a vehicle-based laptop and wireless AirCard, from Hurricane Wilma to the NHC in 2005. He worked as an on-air consultant, with CNN, Fox News, MSNBC and numerous local TV affiliates during hurricane season from 2002-2005 and was the on-camera weather conditions consultant for MSNBC’s coverage of the Space Shuttle’s Return to Flight mission in ’05. In 2007 and 2008 he was Energizer’s national spokesman for their ‘Plan. Prepare. Protect’ initiative, supporting family preparedness education through school and children’s club visits with “The Bunny”, national satellite media tours, appearing in millions of households from the National Hurricane Conference and online content creation.

Remembering WeatherNation's John Van Pelt

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<p>Closing out the year and tallying up the damage from Mother Nature has brought 2022 to the year with the third most billion dollar disasters in history for the U.S., tied for third place with 2017 and 2011 with a total of 18 disasters totaling 1 billion dollars in damages or more. This year also is one of our most expensive for disasters on record: $165B (the final number is likely to rise after the cost of the December 21-26 winter storm are added into the total). Of the 18 events: 3 tropical storms, 1 drought event, 1 wildfire event, 1 flood event, 1 winter event and 11 severe events that resulting in over $1 billion in damages each. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/MiVky6hwzUQ" start="0"></iframe></div><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/graphy.jpg" alt=""> The figure of $1 Billion is arbitrary but determined on a number of indexes according to NOAA to include, "physical damage to residential, commercial, and municipal buildings; material assets (content) within buildings; time element losses such as business interruption or loss of living quarters; damage to vehicles and boats; public assets including roads, bridges, levees; electrical infrastructure and offshore energy platforms; agricultural assets including crops, livestock, and commercial timber; and wildfire suppression costs, among others." 2022 is the third costliest YEAR behind 2017 and 2005. Part of the reason these years are more expensive are due to individual events. Hurricane Harvey (2017) totaled $148.8B and Hurricane Katrina (2005) totaled $186.3B. (All of these costs and those in the rest of the article are cost-adjusted per the consumer price index for modern day expenses.) The most expensive disaster of 2022 was Hurricane Ian which hit Florida's Gulf Coast in late September and resulted in $112.9B in damages, the third costliest U.S. hurricane on record behind Katrina and Harvey. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/top-5-storms.jpg" alt=""> Ian was the 6th CAT 4 or 5 storm to hit the U.S. Gulf Coast in 6 years: Irma &amp; Harvey (2017), Michael (2018), Laura (2020), Ida (2021), Ian (2022). Ian also joins the list of one of the more notable I-named storms with the name likely to be retired by the World Meteorological Society later this year. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/retired-i-storms.jpg" alt=""> The most widespread disaster of this year, and second most expensive behind Ian, was the Western/Central Drought and Heat Wave, the most costly on record since record keeping began in 1980. The total impact of the drought and heat hit agricultural and urban areas alike, totaling $22.2B in damage. Record keeping for billion dollar disasters began in 1980 and events have been cost-adjusted using the Consumer Price Index to account for inflation over the last 50 years. It should be noted that some years have seen an increase in the number of disasters after the fact as previous events that didn't meet the $1B threshold now have due to inflation. According to NOAA, "we introduce events into the time series as they 'inflate' their way above $1B in costs in today's dollars. Every year, this leads to the introduction of several new events added from earlier in the time series". <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/diasters-by-decade.jpg" alt=""> 2020 broke the previous record of 18 billion dollar disasters when the U.S. saw a record 22. In 2021 we saw an equally active year, with a total of 20. This is just one metric to account for an increase in storms and doesn't account for the historical average of TYPE of disaster (i.e. tropical versus severe versus drought) and also doesn't take into consideration where the storm hits. A tropical storm that hits Houston or a hailstorm that strikes Atlanta is more expensive due to population than those same types of storms striking more rural portions of the country. Bottom line, the U.S. has seen 341 separate weather and climate disasters in 42 years with the total coast exceeding $2.475 trillion. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/list-of-disasters.jpg" alt=""></p>

Billion Dollar Disasters: A Look Back at the Costliest Storms of 2022

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<p>It is that time of year where we round up the Top 10 Weather Events of 2022, and we had so many extreme and notable events we couldn't fit it into just 10. Check them all out below and keep reading for the most memorable events of 2022.</p><h2>#10 Double Derechos</h2><p> Just 3 weeks apart the High Plains saw to derechos, on June 13th and July 6th. The storm in July caused over $2.9B in damages from Michigan, Illinois, Indiana and through Ohio. July's derecho tore a path into the Dakotas. This double whammy of severe weather, kicks off our list of the Top 10 Weather Events of 2022 at number 10. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/TSsT_A2IhlM" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>#9 Epic Lake Effect</h2><p> An early season lake effect event produced record snowfall in western New York, before a Christmas blizzard buried Buffalo in a historic, deadly storm. These two events team up as number 9 on our list of the Top 10 Weather Events of 2022. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/3ETx5CdTf94" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>#8 Nor'easter of January</h2><p> Our earliest event in the Top 10 Weather Events of 2022 was the late January Nor'easter that put over 11 million people under blizzard warnings, from Long Island through Maine. It was Boston's first blizzard in 4 years and brought whiteout conditions throughout the Northeast. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hsmpHze4vy4" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>#7 Mississippi River Drought</h2><p> After a wet start to the summer, moisture essentially shut off for the Midwest and Central Plains leading to a historic drought along the Mississippi River, impacting commerce, travel and daily life. The drought conditions on the Mississippi come in at #7 on our list of Top 10 Weather Events of 2022. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/n__dtbBftL4" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>#6 Hurricane Nicole</h2><p> The latest hurricane to ever hit Florida's east coast and the second latest hurricane to ever strike the U.S., #6 on our list of Top 10 Weather Events of 2022 is Hurricane Nicole. Nicole leveled homes in the greater Daytona Beach area and brought torrential rainfall to the sunshine state. We break down what made this storm so impactful. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/KyWWckuQ0pE" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>#5 Dallas: Drought to Flooding</h2><p> At one point nearly every county in Texas was under burn restrictions as unrelenting drought seared the grasses and allowed massive fires to burn. Then, it all changed in just a day. Torrential rain arrived in August but the parched ground couldn't soak it up, leading to widespread flooding in Dallas. This brings us to number 5 on our Top 10 Weather Events of 2022. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/stboJc415LM" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>#4 Drought &amp; Heatwaves</h2><p> In the same vein of #5 on our list, #4 is another year of record heat and widespread drought in the central and western United States. The number of people impacted by both has this "long duration, low visibility" event firmly at four on our countdown.</p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/pm1HMnvUNBo" start="0"></iframe></div><p> &nbsp;</p><h2>#3 Relentless Spring Severe</h2><p> 8 Billion dollar disasters in just 3 months. The relentless severe season from late March to June in the southern United States makes the top three of Top 10 Weather Events of 2022. From tornado outbreaks to damaging wind and hail, we break down how widespread the impacts really were. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/2yUHrixXf_s" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>#2 Deadly Flooding: Virginia, St. Louis and Kentucky</h2><p> For as dry as the second half of the summer season was for the Midwest and Appalachia, June and July brought devastating floods to rural Virginia and Kentucky along with St. Louis in just a few weeks time. Sadly, the flooding in Kentucky was deadly, with 48 people lost to flood waters that rose rapidly in the middle of the night. These events come in at #2 on our Top 10 List. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/hybYRI5Z39A" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>#1 Hurricane Ian</h2><p> Another 'I' named storm for the book, Hurricane Ian's landfall in southwest Florida brought widespread and catastrophic impacts to the Southeast U.S. in late September. Barrier islands were destroyed and storm surge ripped through homes. Hurricane Ian is one of the deadliest hurricanes in recent history and is number 1 on our list of the Top 10 Weather Events of 2022. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/qgpz5mbXf_A" start="0"></iframe></div><h1>SPECIAL EXTRAS</h1><h2>Hurricane Recap</h2><p> The 2022 Hurricane Season packed a punch. John Van Pelt takes a look back at this year's heavy hitters. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/REhsotPco6c" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>High Impact Events - Western U.S. &amp;&nbsp;Eastern U.S.</h2><p> There were too many major weather events to fit into just ten spots. What makes your list? Check out these high impact events for the western and eastern United States. Events included are the historic 2022 New Mexico Wildfire Season, PTC 1 impacting Miami, Yellowstone Flooding and impactful late season severe events. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/cl8k0dipW8Q" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>Wild Weather Around the World</h2><p> We continue our look back at 2022 by exploring the top weather stories around the globe this year. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/SOEYpGzbpKE" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>Top Videos of 2022</h2><p> Our staff rounded up their favorite videos along with your most liked and shared on social media during 2022. Check out the top videos - good, bad and funny. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/ViKejPlEYy4" start="0"></iframe></div><h2>Top Animal Videos</h2><p> If you need a smile, we want to bring back some of our favorite animal videos of 2022. Be sure to check out all of them by following @WeatherNation on social media or logging on to WeatherNationtv.com. </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mMz1PNcmJ6w" start="0"></iframe></div><p>For more on the Top 10 Weather Events of 2022, join WeatherNation through the New Year as we share these stories on-air.</p>

Top 10 Weather Events of 2022

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<p>FEATURE IMAGE AND INFORMATION COURTESY: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.noradsanta.org/en/map">NORAD</a> Watch along with WeatherNation as we track Santa's journey around the world on Christmas Eve! </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/mzOIVqs_Exs" start="0"></iframe></div><h1>How Did NORAD Get Their Start Tracking Santa?</h1><p>For more than 60 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2016/12/santa_and_shoup.jpg"> </p><p>(Image: Colonel Harry Shoup, NORAD's First Santa Tracker September 29, 1917 - March 14, 2009)</p><p>The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck &amp; Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.</p><p>In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa.</p><p> </p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y8eKH9VxeRY" start="0"></iframe></div>

Track Santa with NORAD & WeatherNation

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<p>As severe storms roared across the Southeast U.S. on Wednesday, one storm in particular gained strength as it moved into downtown New Orleans. This same storm spawned a tornado that damaged several structures, ripping roofs off of residents' homes while flashing vivid lightning and torrential downpours. For more on other tornadoes confirmed in the south, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://media.weathernationtv.com/?post_type=news&amp;p=203743&amp;preview=true"><strong><em>click here</em></strong></a>. </p><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1603146639790800903" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1603146639790800903"></div><p> *Note* The image in the tweet above was from around 4 p.m. CT Wednesday, December 14. This particular warning has now expired.&nbsp;The National Weather Service in Slidell, Louisiana noticed debris getting lofted up from the tornado. Meteorologists noted the damage as seen by radar imagery. The first signs of the debris occurred near Marrero, LA and continued to the northeast through Arabi and the Lower 9th Ward. </p><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1603149338905137154" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1603149338905137154"></div><p>The storm was a confirmed EF-2 tornado with maximum winds of 125 mph. This was a nearly identical path to another tornado back in March of 2022. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/12/arabi-tor.jpg" alt=""> If this location sounds familiar, you're not mistaken. In March of this year, an EF-3 tornado hit Arabi, Louisiana in nearly the exact same spot of this tornado that occurred Wednesday. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/12/2-28.jpg" alt=""> <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://media.weathernationtv.com/news/large-tornado-tears-through-new-orleans-late-tuesday/"><strong><em>Here is a link to our story from March about the EF-3 tornado in this same location.</em></strong></a> &nbsp;</p>

Tornado Hits New Orleans Suburb for the Second Time in 9 Months - Rated an EF-2

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Kit grew up in the Piedmont of North Carolina outside of Charlotte, spending most of his childhood in Belmont, an old mill town on the Catawba River now grown into a bustling suburb. He had a passion for mathematics and science through grade school, having ambitions to become an architect, engineer, theoretical/astrophysicist, or geologist, but eventually choosing to pursue Meteorology. He went to the University of North Carolina at Charlotte to obtain his degree, taking all electives on atmospheric sensing, tropical, and mesoscale meteorology for a full, in-depth understanding of the atmosphere (though he maintains on every hike, he should have taken more geology classes!) He interned at WCNC in Charlotte, learning the craft of presenting off-script and how to tell a weather story. After Graduation, he worked in the Quad Cities at WHBF-TV and KLJB-TV, the CBS/Fox affiliates. From there, he moved to Grand Island, Nebraska at KSNB-TV, the NBC affiliate for Central Nebraska. The active winters and severe seasons kept him busy, experiencing a wide range of wild weather. He remembers the most impactful event in March of 2019, when a massive snowmelt, heavy rain, and blizzard all struck the state in 36 hours. Kit later moved to the Denver area taking a job as a Producer with WeatherNation. He was brought on as a full-time on-air meteorologist in June of 2022 and can now be seen with the rest of the team on WeatherNation! You can follow him on Facebook and Twitter @KitCwx.

Kit Thomas

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<p dir="auto" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Credit - NASA HQ PHOTO</strong></p>
<p dir="auto">The NASA Artemis I mission splashed down on Sunday, December 11th after spending 25 days in space, orbiting the moon and gathering data to prepare for future Artemis missions! The un-crewed spacecraft was recovered from the Pacific by the USS Portland.</p>
https://twitter.com/NASAArtemis/status/1602008062650376194

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<p dir="auto">The NASA <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis-i/">Artemis I mission</a> mission has finally had successful liftoff at 1:47 AM on Wednesday, November 16th from Cape Canaveral Florida! The mission had faced major setbacks at the launch stage: The original launch days in August and early September were scrubbed due to fuel leaks that resulted in more testing and the rocket to be taken off the launch pad. Then the rescheduled launch on Tuesday, September 27th was scrapped due to Hurricane Ian and the impact to Florida. Cape Canaveral is a busy launch location, meaning that Artemis has had to wait for the next available date, brining us to a scheduled launch of Monday, November 14th before Hurricane Nicole pushed the launch back again to November 16th.</p>

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The mission for Artemis I, an un-crewed Orion spacecraft and Space Launch System (SLS) rocket, will lift off in the first step in the mission to get man back on the moon.

<img class="size-full wp-image-193747 aligncenter" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/08/orion-spacecraft.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1282" />
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Orion Spacecraft - Photo: NASA</em></p>
The launch will test the SLS system to launch as well as Orion spacecraft's ability to fly in space along with a safe re-entry, descent, splash down and recovery of the spacecraft. Though un-crewed, the Artemis I mission will contain 3 “passenger” mannequins equipped with sensors to help scientists understand and prepare for the forces astronauts will experience during takeoff, spaceflight and reentry. The return speed of Orion will be up to 25k mph, faster than any of the space shuttle missions.

<img class="size-full wp-image-193745 aligncenter" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/08/image2.jpg" alt="" width="900" height="493" />
<p style="text-align: center;"><em><i>Commander Moonikin Campos </i>Mannikin - Photo: NASA</em></p>
The <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/specials/artemis/"><strong>Artemis missions</strong></a> have the goal of human flight to the moon, to then create a sustainable presence on the moon and prepare humans for future exploration to Mars. Artemis II will contain the first crewed flight for the mission. Artemis III &amp; Beyond will be the repeated trips to and around the moon. All three of these stages of the Artemis mission will help NASA plan for future, deeper space exploration, with the goal of putting man on Mars.

https://youtu.be/GgmRAV8HNKE

&nbsp;

Artemis I will be in space for 42 days, 3 hours and 20 minutes while it has a distant retrograde orbit around the Moon, traveling 1.3 MILLION miles! This will be the most miles traveled by any spacecraft meant for human use.

<img class="size-full wp-image-193743 aligncenter" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/08/artemis_i_3_28_22.jpg" alt="" width="1041" height="585" />
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Above: Detailed Artemis I Planned Mission Milestones - Photo: NASA</em></p>
Stay with WeatherNation for updates on the Artemis I mission.

Artemis I Mission: Successful Splashdown Sunday

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Today, Wednesday, November 30th is the official final day of the Atlantic and Eastern Pacific Hurricane Season! After months of monitoring the tropical waters and preparing for any potential storm, the likelihood of additional hurricanes is near zero. Through the next five days, no tropical development is anticipated across the Atlantic Ocean. Our most recent storm was Nicole, a CAT 1 Hurricane that made landfall in Florida in mid-November, the second latest storm to ever hit the U.S. and the latest storm to ever hit Florida's east coast.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-202508" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2021/12/atl-names.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

This season we have seen above average conditions, in terms of the number of named storms and the amount of hurricanes. Earlier in the year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) issued a forecast predicting an above average season, falling in line with with what we did actually see in terms of storms. NOAA did revise their forecast in August, by decreasing the number of storms, after a period of extremely quiet tropical conditions from June through September. We saw a slightly above average number of Hurricanes and just below average with two major hurricanes: Fiona and Ian which were both CAT 4 at their strongest.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-202509" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2021/12/forecast.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

September though, came back with a vengeance, we saw our first four hurricanes: Danielle, Earl, Fiona and Ian. Ian was our strongest hurricane of the 2022 season, just 2 mph shy of a CAT5 Hurricane strength. Of the 16 named storms, 4 had direct impacts to the U.S., including Colin, which formed over land, and Alex, which impacted southern Florida as Potential Tropical Cyclone One in early June before moving into the open waters of the Atlantic and becoming Alex. Ian and Nicole had more traditional impacts, forming over water and making a true "landfall" in the U.S..

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-202505" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2021/12/storm-rank.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

Although not nearly as active as the 2020 or 2021 seasons, 2022 was still historic and impactful bringing the 6th CAT 4 or 5 storm to the U.S. Gulf Coast in 6 years.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-202905" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/11/16-2.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

The final days of the Eastern Pacific Ocean hurricane season ended on the quiet side as well. The Eastern Pacific Basin was slightly more active than the Atlantic Basin, notching 17 named storms compared to the 16 named storms in the Atlantic.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-202507" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2021/12/e-pac-names.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

Stay with WeatherNation through the winter and holiday season as we recap the 2021 Hurricane Season and bring you updates in the Spring to the 2022 Hurricane Season!

Recapping the 2022 Hurricane Season

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The Mauna Loa volcano erupted late Sunday night on the Big Island of Hawaii, prompting ashfall advisories and the United States Geological Survey (USGS) to raise the alert levels. This is the first eruption of the world's largest active volcano since 1984.

https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1598029096663015426

The USGS has raised the Volcanic Alert Level to "Warning" meaning a hazardous eruption is ongoing or imminent. Ashfall is likely downwind of the volcano and in addition to the Alert Level there is also an aviation alert of RED, meaning there is significant emission of volcanic ash into the atmosphere. There may be impacts to aviation as a result.
<blockquote><strong>According to USGS, "Eruption has moved to Mauna Loa’s Northeast Rift Zone. Local hazards include lava flows, ash and tephra fall, and heavy vog." Vog is volcanic smog. </strong></blockquote>
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-203035" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/11/alert-levels.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

For perspective, this is occurring on Hawaii's largest island, named Hawaii and also known as "The Big Island".

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-203034" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/11/islands-map.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1597236586793816064

For more on this and your top weather headlines, join WeatherNation always streaming 24/7.

Mauna Loa Volcano Erupts in Hawaii

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<p style="text-align: center;"><em>ABOVE - Photo credit: NASA. Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2)</em></p>
NASA is set to launch the Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) into orbit on on Thursday, November 10th at 1:25 am PST/4:25 EST from Vandenberg Space Force Base in California on an Atlas V 401 rocket! This is a slight delay from the original launch date of November 1st.

https://twitter.com/NASA_LSP/status/1588275044534190080

JPSS-2 is the third satellite in a polar satellite series and partnership between NASA and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Polar satellites focus on the entire earth, moving from North to South Pole and seeing the same spot on Earth 2x/day - once during the day, the second at night. This is opposed to geostationary satellites that spin at the same rate of the Earth, centered over the equator at 22,000 feet and focus on the same area all the time.

JPSS-2 will work to improve weather forecasts by providing information from above for meteorologists &amp; scientists better predict the future. JPSS-2 will cross the equator 14 times per day, taking measurements from the Earth from the North Pole to South Pole. This means JPSS-2 will send back two full images of the Earth twice per day.

According to NASA some of the instruments included are:
<blockquote>At launch, JPSS-2 weighs 5,567 pounds and has four highly sophisticated instruments to measure weather and climate conditions on Earth:
<ul>
 	<li>The Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) sees through clouds like an X-ray and can view the structure of the atmosphere underneath those clouds and inside of storms.</li>
 	<li>The Visible Infrared Imaging Radiometer Suite (VIIRS) measures in the infrared and visible part of the spectrum and can image hurricanes, floods, dust storms, cloud patterns, ocean color, and help locate and map wildfires.</li>
 	<li>The Cross-track Infrared Sounder (CrIS) works together with ATMS to take detailed measurements of the atmospheric conditions needed to generate extreme weather forecasts days in advance.</li>
 	<li>The Ozone Mapping and Profiler Suite (OMPS) consists of sensors to track the concentration of ozone in the atmosphere and measure sulfur dioxide and other aerosols emitted from volcanoes and particulates from wildfires.</li>
</ul>
</blockquote>
<img class="size-full wp-image-200319 aligncenter" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/10/JPSS-2-Payload-Stacking-1025x1536-1.jpg" alt="" width="1025" height="1536" />
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Photo credit: USSF 30th Spacewing/Aaron Taubman via NASA Crane lowers the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Joint Polar Satellite System-2 (JPSS-2) onto the Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID) payload</em></p>
In addition to the NOAA satellite, there is a secondary piece of equipment going up in the Launch on Tuesday. The <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/mission_pages/tdm/loftid/index.html">Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator</a>, or LOFTID, is a test of an inflatable heat shield during reentry. The goal of the LOFTID mission is to prepare for future missions to Mars or Venus. The LOFTID will be deployed just before the JPSS-2 reaches the polar orbit.

<img class="size-full wp-image-200322 aligncenter" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/10/loftid_image_widescreen_copy.png" alt="" width="1042" height="782" />
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Photo credit: NASA Low-Earth Orbit Flight Test of an Inflatable Decelerator (LOFTID)</em></p>
The launch is set for 5:25 am EDT/2:25 am PDT on Tuesday. Live coverage from NASA can be accessed <a href="https://www.nasa.gov/live">here</a>.

NASA & NOAA to Launch Weather Satellite Thursday

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<p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; color: #454545;">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></span></p>

Rob Bradley

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<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Above - Damage from Superstorm Sandy in coastal New Jersey (NJ National Guard)</em></p>
October 29th marks the 10th anniversary of Superstorm Sandy, one of the most powerful and destructive storms to hit the U.S. Northeast. 159 people in the U.S. lost their lives because of the storm that brought the biggest city in the U.S. to its knees. Until 2017, Sandy was the second costliest U.S. hurricane, second only to Hurricane Katrina. In 2017, Hurricane Harvey (Houston) and Hurricane Maria (Puerto Rico) nudged Sandy back to the 4th costliest with an adjusted consumer cost of $81.9 Billion Dollars.

<img class="size-full wp-image-200327 aligncenter" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/10/NOAASuomiNPP_visible.png" alt="" width="720" height="720" />
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Superstorm Sandy via Satellite (NOAA)</em></p>
Sandy got its start off the West Coast of Africa on October 11th, emerging as a tropical wave. As it crossed the warm waters of the tropical Atlantic, and into the Caribbean it was slow to organize, but eventually developed into a Tropical Depression on October 22nd. From there, Sandy strengthened quickly, become a CAT 1 Hurricane with the first landfall in Jamaica on October 24. A second landfall was made over Eastern Cuba, where Sandy was a powerful CAT 3 storm despite interactions with land.

https://youtu.be/4yDJz0nfQd0

Sandy exited Cuba and moved northward into the Bahamas, weakening into a tropical storm. Sandy exited the Bahamas and regained strength and speed northward, becoming a CAT 2 again just 220 miles off the coast of New Jersey on October 29th. Despite the downgrade in strength Sandy as Sandy approached the U.S., the storm had grown in physical size. Sandy is the largest Atlantic Hurricane on record, by diameter, stretching 1,150 miles wide.

<img class="size-full wp-image-200328 aligncenter" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/10/Track_NHCreport.png" alt="" width="779" height="567" />

The reason Sandy is called "Superstorm Sandy" is because of the interaction with a trough of low pressure in the eastern United States on October 29th. Sandy was pushed along by the trough, over cooler waters and lost tropical characteristics quickly (no longer gaining energy from the ocean, but instead atmospheric conditions). However, despite the transition to extratropical, Sandy was still an incredibly powerful storm, with maximum winds of 80 mph that battered coastal New Jersey &amp; New York. Sandy's center made landfall i

<img class="size-full wp-image-200332 aligncenter" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/10/ManhattanLexingtonAve_WzohaibFlickrNHCReport.jpg" alt="" width="537" height="373" />
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Manhattan, Lexington Avenue Station (NHC)</em></p>
Sandy will be remembered for the incredible Storm Surge that pushed 4-9 feet of water into Staten Island and parts of Lower Manhattan as well as Coastal New Jersey. The force of the storm caused the Hudson River and surrounded Bays to flood coastal areas as well. Storm surge flooded 8 major tunnels of the MTA system in New York, resulting in $5B in damages at the time. In neighboring New Jersey, over 270 railroad cars were damaged because of the flood waters. Seaside Heights was just one of the communities that experienced catastrophic damage in New Jersey, where a Casino and Amusement park were completely destroyed by Sandy. On Fire Island on Long Island, NY over 200 homes were destroyed because of surge and water eroded protective sand dunes. At least 650,000 houses were destroyed or damaged because of Sandy due to storm surge and waves. People in the Northeast were without power for weeks as the storm knocked out power for over 8.5 million customers. Over 159 people lost their lives as a result of Superstorm Sandy, 41 of which were as a result of storm surge.

<img class="size-full wp-image-200331 aligncenter" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/10/FireIslandWofSmithsPointBridge_BeforeAfter_NOAA.png" alt="" width="925" height="1200" />
<p style="text-align: center;"><em>Fire Island, NY Before and After Superstorm Sandy (NOAA)</em></p>
Many improvements in Hurricane and tropical forecasting have been made since and because of Sandy. Storm surge alerts are now issued for tropical systems and even if a storm is downgraded in status (extratropical) or not yet tropical (potential tropical cyclone), tropical products can be issued to better prepare and communicate the risks to people. Infrastructure improvements have been made in the Northeast to prevent water from destroying and damaging as much as it did during Sandy. We have more technology and data now via satellites and weather observation than we did with Sandy 10 years ago, and hurricane forecasts have improved drastically as a result. For many on the East Coast, Sandy is not a storm they will forget and certainly one they will learn from.

Superstorm Sandy: 10 Years Later

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<p>The active Flood Watch was just dropped for the ArkLaTex. In the last 24 hours, cities have seen rainfall amounts between one to two inches. For the rest of the Southeast, it will be a miserable rest of Thursday with a cold rain.  Our grounds are saturated through the South due to rainfall over the last week, meaning additional moisture will have a hard time sinking in.</p><p><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/significant-icing-for-the-plains-to-the-ohio-valley"><strong><em>Related Article: Significant Icing For The Plains</em></strong></a></p><p>Despite the cooler air and lack of widespread instability through the South, we still manage to see a few severe storms on Thursday. The Storm Prediction Center has also issued a "Marginal" risk for severe storms Thursday including Pensacola through Tallahassee. Be prepared for damaging winds along with the threat of waterspouts, as is common close to the Gulf Coast.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/severe outlook-1675363474709.JPG">As the area of low pressure draws in warmer gulf moisture, heavy rain pours in over the rest of our Gulf coast states into Thursday and moves into the Atlantic by Friday. Rain will be extremely heavy at times, contributing to the flood risk.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/2023-02-02 13-17-23-1675369124276.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>Join WeatherNation for the Eastern Regional Forecast always:10 and:30 past the hour for more details on the weekend forecast and the potential for wet weather.</p>

Heavy Rain & Severe Weather Returns to the Gulf

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<p>The first round of snow have wrapped up for the Northeast. it did produce over a foot in parts of Upstate New York. A weak clipper system slides through the northern tier of the country today through Saturday bringing a light coating of snow to the upper Great Lakes (above). In Michigan, we have Winter Weather Advisories for the lakeshores of Lake Michigan and Superior. Once the system moves into New England, a BLIZZARD WARNING is in effect for far northern Maine tonight through Saturday. Despite, the forecast calling for light snowfall in Maine it will be the strong winds that could make travel dangerous!! </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/1-1675370577310.jpg"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/blizzy maine-1675363264002.JPG">Our heaviest snow is moving through New England tonight before pushing offshore early Friday morning. We will likely see pockets of lake enhancement and eventually lake effect snowfall behind the clipper. </p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/lake effect and clipper-1675283790908.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>Our front brings in arctic air Friday through Saturday to the Northeast, in some cases the coldest air ever on record. The brutally cold air in the upper levels of our atmosphere should be enough to combat the already cold surface temperatures of the Great Lakes. We generally need a temperature difference between the surface and 5000ft of 25°F for lake effect snow showers to be successful. As we are deep in the winter season, our lakes are at their coldest and those temperature differences can be hard to achieve.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/le criteria-1675283774122.JPG"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/forecast temps 850-1675283676573.JPG">Some of the lakeshores are covered with ice, but it is important that the "fetch", or distance the super-cold air travels over the lake, is exposed water. We see that through Lakes Huron, Ontario, and even Lake Erie despite it being the shallowest Great Lake.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/Capture-1675302218399.JPG">For more on the brutal cold, incoming snow, and weekend forecast in the Northeast and Great Lakes, join us for your top headlines and our eastern regional forecast, always :10 past the hour.</p>

Clipper System & Lake Effect Bring Light Snow to the Northeast

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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.

Jesse Kelley

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<p>After a period of a few dry weeks, we are gearing up for the next storm system to impact the western U.S. and bring more snow back to the Sierra Nevada. This comes after a February 1 <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/california-snowpack-update-highest-snow-reading-in-6-years">snowpack reading at the highest levels in 6 years</a> by the California Department of Public Resources. There are winter weather alerts in effect for the Sierra Nevada from Friday night through Saturday as we could see snowfall in the range of 6 to 15 inches above 4000 feet, with 15 to 28 inches above 6000 feet. Wind gusts will be in the range of 50-60mph with gusts over the highest peaks possible at 100 mph! Rain starts overnight through the coastline of California along a cold front. We will see high elevation snowfall early Friday morning, continuing through the lunchtime hours. There will then be a lull in the snow forecast before another front arrives Saturday night and Sunday, providing more significant snowfall for over 24 hours through the northern Sierra.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/2023-02-02 14-39-22-1675374248081.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p></p><p>Model indications are for over 3' of snow through the highest peaks Friday through Sunday! Some of this snow we will pick up overnight Thursday into Friday but most comes in our second push of snow on Saturday night. Although the highest snowfall totals will be felt in California, we could see accumulating snow all the way into the northern Four Corners. Totals in Utah could reach over six inches through Sunday evening.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/sierra snowfall-1675374175732.JPG"></p><p>The other factor is the wind - with wind advisories in effect overnight Thursday into Friday for gusts in the range of 45-60 mph as the frontal boundary pushes ashore. Even stronger winds are anticipated through the peaks of the mountains.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/wind alerts-1675374188128.JPG"></p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/2023-02-02 14-40-51-1675374471556.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p></p><p>For the weekend, temperatures are going to be nice and warm in the Southwest with highs ranging from the upper 50 to the 70s. In Colorado and Utah, highs will be slightly cooler.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/1-1675372934952.jpg"></p><p>We aren't done with the snow on Sunday; The Weather Prediction Center has highlighted the potential for heavy snow in the Sierra Nevada from Saturday through Tuesday of next week as multiple fronts move ashore.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/sierra outlook-1675373720608.JPG">Stay with WeatherNation for the latest on the forecast and for your Western specific regional forecast, always join us at :50 past the hour.</p>

Snow Returns to the Sierra This Weekend

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<p>We have seen significant icing this week with ice causing problems from Texas to Tennessee from roadways to power outages. Over half a million people through the southern plains are without power today. Our top reports show nearly an inch of ice accumulation through Texas and nearly 2" of sleet into northern Arkansas. Given cold temperatures lingering, it will take some time for all of this to melt. Please do not try and travel even as this event is winding down.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/ice reports-1675349060783.JPG"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/ice since monday-1675349069230.JPG">Additional ice accumulations through the rest of the day today will be on the order of 0.10" - much less compared to what we've seen so far this week, but icy roadways are still anticipated and even if you don't receive any more ice or sleet today, we are cold enough that what is already on the ground isn't going anywhere. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/02-02 Ice 3k-1675344513985.JPG">Ice will continue to taper off through the late morning, but impacts will likely linger through the rest of the day. Black ice is possible overnight into Friday in areas that don't see evaporation. Power outages could persist for days in some areas, if not longer.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/Ice Video today-1675363387012.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>If your power goes out, run generators at least 20 feet from the outside of your home and if you're using a space heater inside, put it at least three feet away from any flammable items.</p>

Significant Icing Event Causes Widespread Power Outages & Halts Travel Through the South

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<p>We are gearing up for some of the coldest air EVER on record in the Northeast this weekend. Temperatures will drop to well below zero throughout New York and New England, leading to the risk of damage from the cold (frozen pipes, burst pipes) and danger to people and pets. It all starts on Friday morning as temperatures will be in the single digits and teens and while the morning lows are brutal, daytime highs on Friday are potentially record setting. Everywhere you see a light pink dot is the opportunity to tie or break a record cold high temperature. Widespread highs in the teens are anticipated Friday with wind chill values running well below zero. If you must be outside, bundle up and limit exposed skin!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/record cold highs-1675348441837.JPG">Wind chill alerts extend toward New England as another surge of Arctic air is set to arrive. At these forecast numbers, frostbite can set in as quickly as 5 or 10 minutes on any exposed skin. It's always helpful to remind yourself to cover up any exposed skin before you venture outside, especially if you have to work outside. Layers, layers, and more layers!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/wind chill alerts-1675348554615.JPG"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/fri pm chill-1675348578785.JPG">Record setting and cold air doesn't stop on Friday night, Saturday morning will be incredibly cold in the Northeast and some of the coldest air EVER on record for the city. Many of these cold records date back to the 1880s, when modern weather record keeping began. Boston's record low of -3° was set in 1886. Brr!! To the north closer to the Adirondacks of New York, temperatures of -25 degrees could rival records as well. In these temperatures, frostbite can happen in less than 30 minutes of being outside.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/Capture-1675296330965.JPG"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/1jpg-1675303519330.jpeg">Layers, layers, layers! Stay with WeatherNation for the latest on the cold in your Eastern Regional Forecast, always :10 past the hour. </p>

Life Threatening Cold Arrives in the Northeast Friday & Saturday

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<p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Arctic air from Canada has been grasping much of the central and western U.S. leading to the icy mess across the South. And after some </span><em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">slightly</span></em><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)"> warmer weather Wednesday, another blast of winter is in place for the High Plains of the Dakotas and Minnesota to round out the work week. </span>Wind chill alerts are in effect for North Dakota and Minnesota along with parts of Wisconsin. Wind chill values will quickly sink again as arctic air takes over. While we aren't anticipating huge wind gusts, even a little breeze at these temperatures can be extremely dangerous!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/wind chill alerts-1675375197983.JPG"> </p><p>The coldest air and gustiest wind moves in to the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes Friday. Places like Duluth, MN top out at feeling like -41 as high temperatures only climb to 2°.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/friday lows-1675349994955.JPG">At these forecast numbers, frostbite can set in as quickly as 5 or 10 minutes on any exposed skin. Cover up any exposed skin before you venture outside, especially if you have to work outside. Layers, layers, and more layers! The heart of the cold air will move east through the end of the week, with much warmer air quickly replacing it from the west. Still, expect the feels like temperature to be anywhere from 15-25 degrees colder than the actual temperature.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/friday high vs chill-1675375230669.JPG"></p><p>Stay with us here at WeatherNation as we track the cold and please stay safe!</p>

Single Degree Highs Locked into the High Plains

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<p>There has been a quieter streak across the Pacific Northwest recently, but more active weather is returning later this week. The Weather Prediction Center has highlighted the potential of heavy snow in the Cascades of Oregon and Washington for this weekend and again for early next week. The Rockies and Bitterroots of Wyoming and Idaho are also highlighted for the heavy snow as moisture pushes inland especially on Sunday</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/nw wpc-1675375443202.JPG">  </p><p>By Thursday evening, the system will be moving in from the Pacific bringing with it heavy rain along the Oregon coastline and high-elevation snowfall. This is just the appetizer for what is to come later, on Friday night. Still, we could see accumulating snow and locally difficult travel over high mountain passes Thursday evening and Friday morning. There will be a lull in the activity through midday before more moisture pushes onshore later Friday evening. Heavy rainfall will be seen for mountain valleys and along the coastline. Additional waves of moisture will roll out of the Pacific through Monday, bringing more rain at the coast and heavy mountain snow. This second system will be colder, meaning more of the precipitation will fall as snow.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/nw snow-1675375541168.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>Snow accumulations through midday Monday will be on the order of a foot in the highest elevations of the Sierra Nevada and Cascades. While these totals will be high in spots, it comes over the period of a few days. Travel will be impacted at times in the high country. Parts of I-80 near Reno will be difficult, along with I-90 near the Snoqualmie Pass and I-84 through Oregon and Idaho.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/nw snowfall-1675375530975.JPG"></p><p>Expect temperatures for Seattle, WA to remain in the upper 40s and low 50s while inland communities drop to the 30s and 40s this weekend. It won't be nearly as chilly compared to last weekend!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/02/RNW 3 day-1675308444971.JPG"></p><p>More details can be found :50 past the hour on WeatherNation.</p>

Active Weather Returns to the Northwest

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Kara has always been passionate about weather and knew from an early age that she wanted to become a meteorologist. Living in different regions of the country and experiencing weather events ranging from ice storms to tornadoes drove her to pursue a bachelor's degree in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma. Throughout college, storm chasing became a regular event for Kara, where she saw first-hand the power of the atmosphere. Kara graduated cum laude from OU and decided to further her meteorology education with a Master's degree from Mississippi State University. The deadly April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak struck while Kara was studying at MSU; her first “Dixie Alley” tornado event and an up close glimpse into the destruction of the storms she so closely studied. Her broadcast career began in Elvis’ birthplace, Tupelo, Mississippi, where she earned her Certified Broadcast Meteorologist seal from the American Meteorological Society. Kara's career has included coverage of all types of severe weather including tornado events, flooding and tropical systems across multiple southern states. Recently she helped cover the 2020 Easter Sunday deadly tornado outbreak in southeast Mississippi. In her free time, you can find Kara outdoors exploring new areas with her mini poodle,Truffles. Kara is also an avid runner and frequently races in 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons. Say hi to Kara on <a href="https://twitter.com/wxkara">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/karajameswx">Facebook</a>!

Kara James

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The mountains of California are experiencing another helping of snow in the final days of January, capping off a record stretch of wet weather between the months of December 2022 and January 2023. Winter weather alerts are in effect northeast of Los Angeles, as well as east of San Diego, CA as we head into Tuesday morning for heavy snow and strong wind (ABOVE). Additional winter alerts remain in place through early Tuesday for Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and Nevada. Accumulations will be 6-10" storm total for many of the Southwest mountains!

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Most of our snow ends overnight with just a few pockets of snow showers through the High Country of Arizona, northern New Mexico, and SW Colorado. An additional couple of inches of snowfall are anticipated here.

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The other factor impacting the Southwest is brutally cold conditions. The Plains of Colorado, New Mexico, and Wyoming will get down below 0 again overnight. In California, widespread frost and freeze alerts are in effect across the area for Tuesday and Wednesday morning. Overnight lows will be in the 20s, which could impact crops.

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As always, travel safely to your favorite winter destination in the Southwest. Have proper traction and allow extra time to travel. If you feel unsafe driving, stay home!

Winter Storm Warnings Issued Outside of LA, San Diego

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From December 26, 2022 to January 17, 2023 9 individual atmospheric rivers (ARs) impacted California and the western U.S. with tremendous amounts of rain and snow. These ARs have worked to increase California's snowpack and water resources of 80% of a full seasonal snowpack. According to NIDIS, "Statewide, precipitation over these 3 weeks was 11.2 inches, which is 46% of a full water year". As a result of the heavy rain and snowfall, drought has been significantly improved through California specifically. A three week difference in the drought monitor shows no extreme or exceptional drought in California, a vast improvement. However, the drought we are dealing with is a "long term drought" meaning reservoirs, soils and groundwater are very low, and it will take months if not years of consistent moisture to eradicate all of the West's drought. There are still areas of extreme and exceptional drought (the two highest categories) through Utah, Nevada and Oregon. Exceptional drought is the highest level of drought (5 on a scale of 1 to 5) and is characterized by "Exceptional and widespread crop and pasture losses, exceptional fire risk, shortages of water in reservoirs, streams and wells causing water emergencies." according to the National Weather Service. It is important to note that 100% of the state of California is still feeling some sort of drought conditions.

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This is all thanks to tremendous amounts of rain and snow, since December 26th, when the first potent atmospheric river began. Some spots saw nearly 4 feet of rain in just over 3 weeks. San Francisco saw 75% of their yearly rainfall within the first two weeks of January. And while the rain has been wonderful at combating the ongoing severe drought in the state, which is still facing water restrictions, all the moisture at once caused flood problems. Urban and flash flooding lead to evacuations of communities near recent burn scars and along the coastline where mudslides and debris flows are possible. Reservoirs are still below where they should be for this time of year - so consistent moisture through the Spring is key to building up the deficits.

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Speaking of the difference in reservoirs, check out the drone footage from our field correspondent Brandon Clement of the 18 months of difference in water levels. Most of the water rise is a result of the heavy rain and snow in the past month!

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The Southern Sierra has 2.5x the amount of average snowfall for this time of year. Statewide we are at 215% of normal for this time of year and already over the percent of snowpack we need by April 1st to fill reservoirs. The heavy snowfall can stress the pack, leading to the avalanche danger in the High Country. We are still relatively early in the water season, and if we end up with a drier February - April our water year could be moderate as opposed to "high" if the season continues in the wet pattern according to NIDIS. Long term <a href="https://r20.rs6.net/tn.jsp?f=001fW5M_zCWjfYimO87uU823uE98Prmy-tEqL68YF95l_VQ-putwMWNmU8v2F0Rz7N005wdgpe_JDfVifGvhua0U0EO0jkhh5G_4TQtDQ-vXv-_Niby6FTP5S5wnqauJlrJR6Jd3o21P-OnTFQbw_HiO4N3uu-xPYnitlCM0lpgTy4TaiMElMcazqU-txA_jR2wM7v71rSzJkGJyZgKBRSPVA==&amp;c=BCYYPZ-7wWPZoIrsbL2OKr0K2m62iYu90u3YQ2aeY8zih7WAceulgA==&amp;ch=_3kOHF5q7RrOB0GREeDPdgZUjuKBzhOp8KcxHfU-_sIW97hfoe2k3w==">NOAA CPC Seasonal Outlooks</a> indicate the potential of drought removal or improvement in the west but specifics on how much rain/snow and when is still uncertain.

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For more on the wet weather in the west and damage as a result of multiple storm systems, join WeatherNation for your top weather headlines and Western Regional Forecast at :50 past the hour.

Atmospheric Rivers Eradicate All of California's Extreme Drought Conditions

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A tornado emergency was issued early Tuesday afternoon for the Baytown and SE Houston communities. This was the highest level of a tornado warning, and reports of damage just east of Houston are numerous. This is the first tornado emergency ever issued by the National Weather Service office out of Houston. Early Wednesday morning, the National Weather Service office in Houston confirmed an EF-3 hit the Deer Park / Pasadena, TX area.

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Our field correspondents were able to survey the damage in Pasadena, TX by drone on Tuesday afternoon, showing widespread damage to homes in the town. Shingles and drywall were ripped off homes and debris was scattered throughout. A train was pushed off the tracks and multiple semi trucks were blown over. The community of Deer Park was also hit very hard by this same tornado.

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Our crews surveyed more tornado damage in Orange, TX, a community located on the Louisiana/Texas border.

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On Tuesday we had an ENHANCED risk issued by the Storm Prediction Center (level 3 out of 5) for the Gulf Coast of Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, and Alabama along with the Florida panhandle. There was also the risk for "significant tornadoes" through the I-10 corridor where the SPC highlighted the potential for an EF-2 or greater tornado.

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For the latest on the storm surveys, stay with WeatherNation for the most up-to-date forecast &amp; information!

EF-3 Tornado Confirmed in Houston Tuesday

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A potent wave of low pressure and its associated cold front spawned severe weather throughout the day on Thursday with numerous wind, hail and tornado reports. Widespread storms through the South resulted in many reports of damaging wind and hail. Look at how many warnings that were issued on Thursday! Red are the tornado warnings and yellow were severe thunderstorm warnings issued. Sadly, 9 people have died as a result of the tornadoes on Thursday.

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There were multiple confirmed tornadoes in both central and northern Alabama and through the south side of the Atlanta metro Thursday afternoon.

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Unfortunately, multiple injuries and deaths have been reported following an intense tornado that tore through Autauga County, Alabama early Thursday afternoon.

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This was the same cell that tore through Selma, AL earlier in the afternoon resulting in widespread damage to the town.

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Storm surveys will have to be conducted to determine how many tornadoes touched down on Thursday and their associated EF rating. A storm survey out of Henry County, KY confirmed a strong EF-1 tornado formed early Thursday morning. Additional tornado surveys are ongoing across the South. Here a few preliminary tornado ratings from Thursday.

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<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-207043" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/01-13-KY-Tor-Report.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />It will take awhile to get a full report of all of the tornado ratings due to the widespread nature of the damage.

Wind reports were well over 75 mph through Tennessee, South Carolina and Alabama with the strongest of the storms. This is independent of tornado warned storms which contained higher wind gusts. Additionally, we saw numerous hail reports over ping pong ball thanks to cold air in our upper atmosphere that supported ice growth in the strongest of the updrafts!

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Numerous Tornadoes Cause Damage Across the South

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CALIFORNIA -  Heavy rainfall continues to bring hazards to California including flash flooding, mud and rockslides, and debris flow. Flood reports cover the area as continuous rain brings issues such as sinkholes, bridges being washed out, boulders crashing along the highway, and much more. All because of the power of heavy rain. Sadly, flooding has turned deadly, with over a dozen people killed. Another round of heavy precipitation will be expected for California this weekend, for more information, click <a href="https://media.weathernationtv.com/news/recent-storms-taking-a-big-chunk-out-of-california-drought/">here</a>. The entire town of Montecito, CA was under an evacuation order Monday and Tuesday due to rising flood waters. January 9th marked the five-year anniversary of the deadly mudslide caused after wildfires scarred the region. Numerous flood reports (green dots) and debris flow (dark blue dots) were seen throughout California since Sunday. Since the first atmospheric river, we have seen a tremendous amount of rainfall - some cities in California seeing half a year's worth of rain in just 3 weeks.

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Widespread snowfall totals over 3-4 feet have been seen across the highest peaks. The snowpack for the Sierra Nevada is at a statewide 215% of normal for this data and 94% of where it should be by April 1st. While this is amazing news for the reservoirs, this much snow all at once is making travel nearly impossible along with weakened slopes and heightened avalanche dangers. Check out what we've seen since teh first atmospheric river on December 26 - over 15 FEET of snow in 3 weeks at Mammoth, CA.

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Additional rounds of heavy rainfall will continue over the next few days for northern California thanks another wave of Pacific Moisture moving onshore. Rainfall totals are expected to surpass another 1-3" inches for the northern California and southern Oregon coast. The Weather Prediction Center has drawn out outlooks for excessive rainfall today through northern Coastal California due to the heavy rain. These locations highlighted have the potential for not only urban flooding, but also the risk of mudslides, debris flows, and overflowing rivers, creeks, and streams.

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Today we see an area cold front just offshore, that continues to stream moisture in to the far northern regions of the state and into southern Oregon. The coastline will deal with more rainfall, which could lead to additional mudslides and debris flow around recent area burn scars in addition to high elevation snowfall. What makes the risk of rain so dangerous in these situations is that it is hitting higher elevation locations and gravity naturally pulls the water town. By the time the water descends even just 100' in elevation, it is rushing and creating a torrent that is extremely dangerous at lower levels. Many roads are blocked and impassable due to the high water from urban and river flooding. More potent moisture looks to return on Friday as another weak shortwave of energy slides in. Bottom line, we are far from done with the wet weather forecast, and continue to respond and prepare for the heavy rain and difficult travel impacts.

California Rain & Snow Winding Down Temporarily Today

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California Department of Water Resources has conducted its first snow survey of the season at the Phillips Station. They found that the station is at 177% of normal for early January, a testament to the fantastic start to the winter wet season for California! Statewide, the snowpack is at 174% of normal for this time of year, which is slightly higher than this time last year. Last year, however, the active first part of the season did not carry into the second part of the winter and early Spring. The state fell to only 37% of normal on April 1st. Hopefully repeated rounds of moisture continue to supply the Sierra Nevada with much-needed snowfall throughout the winter and early Spring Season.

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Even though above average for this time of year, in terms of the season we are still at 72% of the April 1st average for Phillips Station and 64% of the total statewide. What this means is that with roughly 3 months left in the wet season, there is still a sizeable amount of snow that still needs to fall for the mountains to be at 100% of average by April 1st. The April 1st date is used because it is typically when the snowpack is at its peak in the Sierra.

https://twitter.com/CA_DWR/status/1610406326701817856

The California DWR conducts surveys at 130 sites throughout the state, to get a complete picture of the snowpack and water resources throughout the Sierra Nevada. According to DWR, "the Sierra snowpack supplies about 30 percent of California’s water needs and is an important factor in determining how DWR manages the state’s water resources." You can check the current status of the snowpack in the Sierra on their website, <a href="https://cdec.water.ca.gov/snowapp/sweq.action">here</a>.

Over the last 30 days, we have seen well above average precipitation, with dark blue colors indicating up to 3x more rain/snowfall than is typically seen. However, it takes more than one storm system to combat drought - which in southern California valleys is still at extreme and exceptional levels. The drought monitor updates weekly, so the following update will hopefully show improvements as a result of our weekend system. We won't see the benefits of the Wednesday - Thursday (1/4-1/5) storm system until the following week's drought monitor.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-206305" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/12/percent-of-norm.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-206304" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/12/drought-monitor.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

This January's measurement is similar to that of 2013 and 2022 - where the state was well above average for snowpack in early January only to be followed by extremely dry conditions through the second half of the month and into February. The implications of a dry second half of the wet season are increased drought conditions and stress on water resources through the summer. Please continue to conserve water and follow restrictions if you live in California. You can read the full report from the California DWR <a href="https://water.ca.gov/News/News-Releases/2023/Jan-23/Snow-Survey-Shows-December-Storms-Provided-Big-Snow-Totals-with-More-Systems-in-Forecast"><em><strong>here</strong></em></a>.

https://twitter.com/CA_DWR/status/1610363470633127936

Snow surveys are conducted once per month from January - May. The next survey is planned for February 1st. Stay with WeatherNation for the latest on storm forecasts in the West.

California Snowpack: Above Average Now, Still Work to Do for the Season

sierra-snowpack-1.jpg

A powerful "bomb cyclone" is lashing California with tropical-storm-force winds and unleashing a fire hose of moisture known as an "Atmospheric River" on the state. A STATE OF EMERGENCY has been declared in California as a result of the storm and emergency operations centers are running at their highest levels. A bomb cyclone is when a storm drops 24mb of pressure in 24 hours - this storm officially did so over the Pacific Ocean through the past day. An Atmospheric River is a concentrated plume of moisture that moves around an area of low pressure and can result in torrential rainfall, snow, and wind. The coastline has taken the brunt of the storm, with multiple piers crashing into the ocean as a result of strong winds causing large waves and swells.

https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1611111614089936898
<h2>Rain</h2>
Widespread flood alerts remain in effect through Friday morning. Please do not drive through flooded roadways! In addition, burn scar areas are at risk for debris flows, assess your risk and please have multiple ways to get alerts. Evacuations are in place around recent burn scars and along the coastline due to the risk of mudslides. The city of San Francisco is asking people to NOT call 911 unless it is an absolute emergency. They anticipate this storm system to have multiple threats and the need to respond. If you need to report a flood issue, call 311. Additional rainfall totals will be in the range of 1-2" through Friday morning.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-206456" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/Flood-Alerts-1.png" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-206458" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/Forecast-Rainfall-4.png" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />
<h2>Snowfall</h2>
In addition to flood alerts, the National Weather Service office has issued Winter Storm Warnings through Friday morning as storm totals will be likely of up to 4 feet possible with wind gusts as high as 60 mph, although the worst of the wind is now behind us. Additionally, avalanche warnings are in effect for the Sierras as heavy snow will compound the risk of weak slopes.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-206459" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/Winter-Alerts-4.png" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-206460" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/01/Forecast-Snowfall-3.png" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

We will finally see the rain and snow showers gradually taper off overnight but lingering effects from the heavy precipitation are still possible. Use extra caution on the roads and watch for ponding of water or debris. Rivers, creeks and streams will be running very high as water continues to drain.

Tune in to the Western Regional forecast at :50 past the hour, or catch it on demand anytime via the WeatherNation app!

Thousands Without Power in Central California Following Atmospheric River

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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

TabanSharifijpg-1675177066416.jpeg

It has been an eventful holiday travel season so far, no doubt! A few more busy travel days lie ahead before the holiday season winds down. Here's a look at interstates that are expecting weather hazards:
<h1>Interstate Outlooks</h1>
<h2>I-70</h2>
Parts of I-70 will be slippery and possibly hazardous as pockets of rain and snow move in. Some of the heaviest precipitation will be found along I-70 across the mountain passes.

<img class="alignnone wp-image-206023 size-full" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/12/Capture-245.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />
<h2>I-25</h2>
Snow showers will be possible across much of I-25 through Monday. The precipitation will become more isolated further to the south.

<img class="alignnone wp-image-206024 size-full" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/12/Capture-246.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />
<h2>I-90 and I-80</h2>
A developing significant winter storm will bring major travel impacts to both I-90 and I-80 Monday, with a brutal combination of both heavy snow and significant icing!

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-206025" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/12/Capture-247.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" /> <img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-206026" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/12/Capture2-27.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

&nbsp;
<h1>Air Travel Forecast</h1>
As a major upper-level system drops in from the west, air travel could be impacted across much of the country Monday, from snow in the north and severe thunderstorms to the south!

<img class="alignnone wp-image-205960 size-full" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/12/Capture-231.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

<img class="alignnone wp-image-205961 size-full" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/12/Capture2-20.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

<img class="alignnone wp-image-205962 size-full" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2022/12/Capture3-10.jpg" alt="" width="1920" height="1080" />

To prepare for smooth travel, be sure to tune into WeatherNation's live forecasts for the latest updates. We're here to help!