Taban Sharifi grew up in Southern California between Los Angeles and San Diego. She is a Certified Broadcast Meteorologist (CBM) with the American Meteorological Society (AMS). She has a B.S. in Atmospheric, Oceanic, and Environmental Sciences with a minor in Environmental Systems and Society from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). Go Bruins! While in school, Taban was a meteorology intern with NBC LA. There she helped forecast daily weather for the greater Los Angeles region and created a playbook to deploy weather sensors for NBC owned-and-operated stations across the country. Her first on-air job took her to San Angelo, Texas, where she was a morning meteorologist and co-anchor. Working in West Texas gave her knowledge and experience covering severe storms. From there, she moved to Palm Springs, California. People think forecasting in California is sunshine all the time, but with temperatures in the 120’s, wildfires, damaging winds, floodings, and earthquakes, the forecasting kept her very busy! She also worked there as a general assignment reporter and told community stories. Taban is excited for the challenge and opportunity to forecast nationally with WeatherNation. She also looks forward to exploring all that Colorado has to offer!

Taban Sharifi

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On the heels of an active opening week to Meteorological Spring, another threat of severe weather will be in the cards for the first half of the week. Severe weather outlooks are in place through Wednesday. With plenty of unstable air to tap into, the threat for severe weather persists. The Storm Prediction center has upgraded to a MODERATE (level 4 out of 5) risk for severe weather across portions of Illinois and Indiana. The ENHANCED (level 3 out of 5) SPC outlook extends from the Great Lakes to Texas.The Storm Prediction Center has issued several significant threats for Tuesday. Not only could we see tornadoes stronger than an EF2, now we can also see tornadoes stronger than an EF3 for areas of Illinois and Indiana. For Texas and Oklahoma, significant wind gusts exceeding 75 mph will also be possible through Wednesday morning.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 195106-1773194695082.png">Hail is another big concern. More widespread, 1" in diameter hail is possible, but many locations could also encounter 2" in diameter hailstones Tuesday. Some portions of Texas and Illinois have already seen hailstones over 3.5", which is in between the size of a softball and teacup.RELATED ARTICLE: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/destructive-tornadoes-hail-rip-through-central-us">Destructive Tornadoes, Hail Rip Through Central U.S.</a><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 195112-1773194688715.png">A SLIGHT (level 2 out of 5) risk remains in place following the cold front through Wednesday. This extends from Texas to Pennsylvania.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 084329-1773153814380.png">We'll have another outlook for significant severe weather for Wednesday as well. This time, however, calling for the potential for strong tornadoes in the highlighted areas.Strong storms have swept across the Nation's heartland bring dangerous hail, strong tornadoes, and heavy rain. Additional storms will continue overnight so it's important to not let your guard down.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/hrrr-1773175257485.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Tune in to WeatherNation live for the very latest.

Alana Cameron

Significant Severe Weather Threatens the Country This Week

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WeatherNation Meteorologists

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After the Storm Prediction Center upgraded parts of Illinois and Indiana to a Moderate (Level 4/5) Risk on Tuesday, destructive severe storms ripped through the heart of the country. A large supercell on the ground for up to 45 minutes produce a large and dangerous tornado in the town of Kankakee, IL. Our field crews were on the ground to capture it as it happened:<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2031517397438624249" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2031517397438624249"></div>A highly unstable atmosphere lead to strong updrafts creating large hail with severe storms. Hail stones the size of softballs and larger were reported in Texas and Illinois. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 1901178-1773191016987.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 190116-1773190918809.png"><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2031525994843214069" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2031525994843214069"></div>

Destructive Tornadoes, Hail Rip Through Central U.S.

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A ridge of high pressure is bringing unseasonably warm temperatures across much of the United States, sending temperatures above average. Another ridge moves back into the West by late week, keeping temperatures soaring.Tuesday was another day of record breaking temperatures across the southern U.S. and Northeast.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 163807-1773182307838.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 163803-1773182321171.png">Numerous records remain possible through Wednesday across the Eastern U.S.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 163852-1773182350633.png">Later in the week, high pressure sets up back on the West Coast, bringing temperatures soaring. Many potential records are likely to fall through the end of the week. Cities like Los Angeles and Phoenix could breaks records for multiple days in a row.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 110511-1773162437821.png">New heat advisories have been added to the west coast. There is a high risk of heat illness for most of the population on Thursday and Friday as temperatures peak 20-30 degrees above normal.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 144548-1773175565838.png">Temperatures will be in the 90s for many areas across the Southwest!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 164007-1773182414170.png">Highs will warm into the 80's and 90s, which will start to threaten records starting Thursday in places like Los Angeles<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 164102-1773182467183.png">

Record-Breaking Heat Sweeps From Coast to Coast

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Alana Cameron was born and raised in Canada in the city of Mississauga, just outside of Toronto. Alana is the oldest of 4 siblings, all close in age, and grew up playing outside with them in all types of weather. After graduating high school, Alana moved to study at the University of British Columbia in Kelowna for a year before transferring to Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia where she completed a Bachelor of Science in Physics and Atmospheric Science. Upon completion, Alana moved back to Toronto where she completed a post-grad degree in Meteorology at York University. After her post-grad, she went on to complete another post-grad in Broadcast Journalism - TV News at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario. During her final year of studies she had the privilege of interning with the best in the business in Canada at The Weather Network. Once she finished her internship, she got the call from small-town Denison, Texas where she accepted a job as an on-air meteorologist at KTEN-TV, right in tornado alley, covering severe weather from Sherman/Denison (North Texas) to Ada (Southern Oklahoma). After the most active tornado season Oklahoma had seen in May 2019 (105 tornadoes!) Alana is excited to join WeatherNation to cover weather all across the nation. If you're interested in following her on social media she can be found @alanacameronwx!

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NORTHWEST - Blizzard warnings have been issued for the mountains of the Pacific Northwest for today and tomorrow. The reason? A ridge of high pressure over the Pacific Ocean is funneling in an atmospheric river of moisture into the Pacific Northwest through tonight and tomorrow. High moisture content will lead to heavy rain and snow for these areas and winds will be very high too.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/03-10_pacific-1773162814574.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Blizzard warnings are issued when winds are greater than 35 mph, visibility less than 1/4 of a mile, and lasting for 3 hours. Additional winter weather alerts have been added for the Pacific Northwest and the Rockies.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 144717-1773175652027.png">In addition to these winter weather alerts, wind alerts have been issued for the northwest for gusts up to 50-60 mph with locally higher gusts.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 110940-1773162806178.png">Let's time this out, as a warm front pushes through, moisture will pick up in the Pacific northwest saturating the soils and lashing with winds. The heaviest of the precipitation picks up on Wednesday before the frontal boundary continues to push inland into Thursday and Friday.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/03-10_rnw bams-1773162860486.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Moisture content with this is extremely high, which will lead to very high snowfall totals.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 144721-1773175657342.png">Some of the heaviest rain is expected across portions of Oregon and southern Washington. Some totals through the end of the week will surpass 6-10 inches of rain.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-10 144725-1773175661483.png">For more information about this, be sure to join us at :50 past the hour during your west regional forecast.

Blizzard Warnings Issued for the Northwest

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MARCH 5-7, 2026 - A powerful early-March storm system unleashed a widespread severe weather outbreak across parts of the Plains and Midwest, producing tornadoes, damaging winds, and large hail that left several communities dealing with significant destruction. The storms developed as warm, moisture-rich air surged north from the Gulf and collided with a strong cold front moving across the central United States. The combination of instability and strong wind shear created an environment favorable for intense thunderstorms capable of producing tornadoes.&nbsp; <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot20260307061955png-1772889600650.png"><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/2026-03-07 04-44-42-1772883932550.mkv" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Severe storms erupted across several states, including Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Illinois, before tracking farther north into the Midwest and Great Lakes. Millions of people were placed under severe weather alerts as powerful thunderstorms developed along the advancing storm system. Some storms quickly intensified into supercells, capable of producing tornadoes and very large hail.&nbsp;<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2030128965650694479" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2030128965650694479"></div>According to the National Weather Service in Tulsa, Oklahoma, the Beggs tornado has a preliminary rating of EF-3 with estimated peak winds of 135 to 140 mph.One of the hardest hit areas was southern Michigan, where tornadoes damaged homes and buildings and caused multiple fatalities. Emergency crews responded to widespread damage after storms tore through communities overnight, leaving debris scattered across neighborhoods and knocking out power to thousands. In addition to the tornado threat, storms produced destructive straight-line winds and hail large enough to cause damage to vehicles, roofs and windows.&nbsp;Storm surveyors found EF2 damage in Three Rivers and EF3 damage in Union City, MI.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/web1-1773050410282.png">&nbsp;<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2030093575778635918" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2030093575778635918"></div>Some of the storms produced hail larger than three inches in diameter along with wind gusts exceeding 70 miles per hour. Heavy rainfall also accompanied the storms, raising concerns for localized flooding in some areas.&nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/web1-1773050441324.png">The outbreak is notable because it occurred relatively early in the severe weather season and impacted a broad portion of the country from the Southern Plains to the Great Lakes. As the storm system continues to push east, an additional round of strong to severe thunderstorms could develop in parts of the eastern United States before conditions gradually improve.&nbsp;

Adrian Hernandez

Deadly Tornadoes Strike Plains and Great Lakes

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Rob grew up in South Florida, where daily afternoon storms and hurricanes piqued his interest in meteorology early on. That interest was fostered by his teachers and his father, who one time brought him onto the roof of their home to watch a funnel cloud move through the Everglades several miles away. Years of filmmaking and tv production in high school gradually pushed him toward broadcast meteorology at Florida State University, where he joined and eventually led the student run daily weather show. After graduating with a Bachelors of Science in Meteorology, he began his career at KESQ in Palm Springs, California before heading to KFSN in Fresno and WLOS in Asheville, North Carolina. He has covered a diverse array of extreme weather events, including haboobs and flash flooding in the desert, extreme snow in the Sierra, hurricanes, and Appalachian ice storms. He also enjoys telling stories and reporting about weather issues.

Connect with Rob on <a href="https://twitter.com/WxRobBradley">Twitter</a>

Rob Bradley

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Top Image Credit: National Parks Service<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/8V6xqwukzO0" start="0"></iframe></div>Spring is fast approaching, and so are the blooms of flowers all across North America. This includes the famous cherry tree bloom around the National Mall in Washington, D.C.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-06 080027-1772810872599.png">On Thursday, March 5th, the National Park Service announced its projected peak cherry blossom date for 2026. The peak is expected around late March into early April (between the 31st and 2nd). Still, the forecast for the peak is generally difficult to make beyond ten days, as blossoms will be impacted by weather conditions. Check back in for updates!<h2>What is "peak bloom"?</h2>The peak bloom date is defined as the day when 70% of the Yoshino Cherry blossoms are open, one of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/types-of-trees.htm">many types of cherry trees</a> in the area. Peak bloom usually lasts for several days, with the blooms taking <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.nps.gov/subjects/cherryblossom/bloom-watch.htm">about two to three weeks to reach peak</a> after the appearance of green buds. As buds begin to appear, the forecast peak date will be updated by National Park Service horticulturists.<h2>Past Blooms</h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-06 080035-1772811048593.png"> Due to variable weather conditions, peak bloom has occurred as early as March 15th (1990) and as late as April 18th (1958).Visiting the blossoming cherry trees has become a favorite springtime tradition for Americans and tourists alike, dating back to 1912 when Japan gifted the U.S. about 3,000 cherry trees. The cherry trees in Japan have been putting on a show for thousands of years, with the dates of blooms being <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://ourworldindata.org/grapher/date-of-the-peak-cherry-tree-blossom-in-kyoto">recorded all the way back to the 9th century</a>. The dates for this year's peak blooms in Japan are expected from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.japan-guide.com/sakura/">late March through late April</a> from north to south across the nation.

Tracey Anthony

Peak Cherry Blossom Forecast Released For 2026

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The SPC has maintained a SLIGHT (level 2 out of 5) risk for severe weather across portions of the South through tonight. This includes Arkansas, Mississippi, Alabama, and Georgia. This risk also comes along with the threat of some supercells capable of producing significant hail greater than two inches in diameter.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-09 143624-1773088658405.png"> A severe thunderstorm watch is in place for these areas, this information can be found during our live broadcast through tonight. The timing of these storms will continue to threaten the lower Mississippi Valley through tonight. Some storms will likely cluster together as they move into Tennessee, Alabama, and Georgia through tonight producing more of a damaging wind threat.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/0309-1773090902606.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>A few localized downpours from these storms may manage to ring out a few inches of rainfall.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-09 143633-1773088751391.png">Be sure to join us on WeatherNation as we track these storms on live VIPIR radar!

Severe Threat Through Tonight in South

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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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<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EWgkKevPiLY" start="0"></iframe></div>Would you believe there were 459 million lightning pulses in the U.S. during 2024? <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://aem.eco/">AEM</a> released its <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://aem.eco/2024-united-states-lightning-report/">2024 U.S. Lightning Report</a>, showcasing a changing lightning landscape for America.Key Findings:<ul><li>The 80 million lightning flashes across the U.S. was a 17.7% decrease from the previous year.</li><li>After an particularly active severe storm season, Midwestern states recorded lightning activity more like the Southeast, including Iowa and Illinois making their way into the top ten states with the highest lightning density.</li><li>Florida retained its top position with 76 flashes per square mile, followed by Louisiana, Oklahoma, and Kansas.</li><li>St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana, led with a flash density of 266 flashes per square mile, significantly surpassing other counties nationwide.</li></ul><blockquote>"The appearance of Illinois and Iowa among the states with the highest annual flash density represents one of the most interesting shifts in lightning activity we've seen in years," said Dr. Elizabeth DiGangi, a lightning scientist at AEM. "While the Southeast and Gulf Coast regions traditionally dominate our annual rankings, 2024's data indicates another way severe weather patterns are evolving in the U.S."</blockquote>

AEM 2024 Lightning Report Shows Shifting Lightning Landscape

Significant Severe Weather Threatens the Country This Week

On the heels of an active opening week to Met

Destructive Tornadoes, Hail Rip Through Central U.S.

After the Storm Prediction Center upgraded pa

Record-Breaking Heat Sweeps From Coast to Coast

A ridge of high pressure is bringing unseason

Blizzard Warnings Issued for the Northwest

NORTHWEST - Blizzard warnings have been issue

Deadly Tornadoes Strike Plains and Great Lakes

MARCH 5-7, 2026 - A powerful early-March stor

Peak Cherry Blossom Forecast Released For 2026

Top Image Credit: National Parks ServiceSprin

Severe Threat Through Tonight in South

The SPC has maintained a SLIGHT (level 2 out