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

Jackie Brown

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<h1>WHAT TO EXPECT </h1>A trough of low pressure is expected to combine with a cold Arctic air mass, bringing the potential for snow, gusty winds, and wind chills in the teens across the mid-south and southeast. Wednesday night, a frontal boundary will drop down from the north, bringing snow chances across this portion of the country through Friday.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/coldsssy-1768158985134.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h1>FORECAST SNOWFALL </h1>We are still a ways out, and the models are showing disagreement as far as snowfall totals. Our in-house model, Baron, shows up to a foot of snow across Northern North Carolina and Virginia, with portions of the Upstate in South Carolina seeing a few inches of snow. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/FORECAST SNWOWW-1768157504309.png"> The GFS model predicts some of the higher snowfall totals, around 6 inches, vs the foot that the GFS model predicts. Make sure to stay with us for the latest updates, as snowfall totals will change as we get closer to the event.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/FORWSSS-1768158047834.png">Gusty winds can create some cold wind chills on Friday morning, with the feel-like temperatures in the teens.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/forecast wind chill-1768158057683.png">For the latest updates on this forecast, you can tune into WeatherNation :10 past the hour for your eastern regional forecast.

Snow Chances For The Mid-South and Southeast This Week

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<h1>RECORD WARMTH </h1>Here comes the warmth again across the West! A ridge of high pressure and downsloping winds will be key factors to help bring warm air across the Northwest and Southwest this week. Records can be seen all across the Northwest through Thursday. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/web1-1768132888516.png">Temperatures on Tuesday will range from 20°- 30° above average! Downslope warming will help cities like Billings and Missoula potentially break multiple records this week. On Tuesday and Wednesday, Billings, Montana, will be in the low 60s! This is almost 30 degrees above average! <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/tuesday avv-1768160590446.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/record highs nill-1768160548352.png">The southwest will be above average as well. Most cities will be around 10-15 degrees above average. On Wednesday, Los Angeles will see a high of 83°, almost 20° above the normal average of 66°. The warmth will stick around for most of the week across the southwest.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/mom-weddd-1768160031699.png">For more information on your Western Regional forecast, tune into WeatherNation at :50 past the hour.

Record Warmth in Store For the West

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Tracey Anthony

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The first days of January have brought many record highs across the country, with more falling across the Southeast on Saturday. However, as the front passes through, residents in these areas will feel a noticeable cooldown by the 2nd half of the weekend!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-10 160855-1768086546197.png">As this latest system and its associated cold fronts push east, many will see temperature drops substantially. The state of Florida, sans the Panhandle, will squeeze out another warm day on Sunday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/web3-1768134124541.png">Temperatures may stay on the cooler side as we head into the 2nd half of January. In fact, the Climate Prediction Center has high confidence in below-average temperatures for next weekend.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-10 161223-1768086823183.png">

Temperature Whiplash for the Weekend

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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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The Northeastern U.S. has been one of the more active regions of the country so far this winter in terms of ice and snow, with plenty piling up around the Great Lakes and into New England. A warmer system brought rain and gusty winds to the Northeast on Friday, but another wet and colder system is expected to bring back ice and snow tonight through Sunday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/Screenshot 2026-01-10 063224-1768052229457.png">Saturday will see quickly changing temperatures, with sub-freezing air down to I-90 by the early afternoon. With warmer air overhead, this could lead to freezing rain mixing with snow into Sunday morning before colder air and more widespread snow return on Sunday afternoon. As a result, Winter Weather alerts have been issued for parts of New England. Take it slow on the roads tonight if you are traveling.<h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/northeast aelrts -1768156021974.png">The Forecast </h1>Snow will continue to work through this afternoon, with the potential for snow squalls, as a low pressure system moves through. There will also be some lake-effect bands on the backside of this low. <video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/ne forecaaa-1768156059887.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/web3-1768133880394.png">Snow will mostly be on the lighter side for most areas with pockets of moderate rainfall (1-2" on the high end). Flash flooding is not expected, but some nuisance flooding (ponding on roadways) is possible. The mountains in New York and New England will see potential for heavier snow, upwards of 6-10 inches. Flash flooding is not expected, but some nuisance flooding (ponding on roadways) is possible.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/web2-1768133914771.png">Temperatures will be quite warm with the first two waves of low pressure, before the cold front arrives Sunday into Monday. Get the latest in the Northeast in the East Regional Forecast anytime with the WeatherNation app - or tune in live at :10 past the hour!

Another Round of Ice and Snow for the Northeast This Weekend

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Brittany Lockley

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After the last system brought heavy rainfall and flash flooding, this next system will bring more snow to the region as colder air filters in behind it. Snow chances will increase across parts of Iowa, Illinois, Wisconsin, and surrounding areas through Saturday, with roads likely turning slick into the early morning hours.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/2026-01-11 07-02-54-1768133002682.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h1>Temperature Drop</h1>The second storm system will follow closely behind Friday's system on Saturday to reinforce the cold air and help generate additional snowfall this weekend. Farther east and north toward the Great Lakes, snowfall totals may be higher as lake-enhanced snow develops, boosting accumulations in parts of Wisconsin and Michigan.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/web5-1768133079141.png">Wind chill values will also become quite cold, dropping some of these temperatures below zero. Strong winds could worsen conditions, particularly near the Great Lakes, where blowing snow may significantly reduce visibility at times. Sunday morning brought some hefty wind chills below zero in the Twin Cities, but they have since backed off. Gusty winds may also lead to drifting snow and isolated whiteout conditions, especially in lake-effect-prone areas.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/web2-1768133147332.png">Most of the heaviest snow has backed off by Sunday morning. What's left are a few lake effect bands that could produce heavy snow at times. All in all though, only roughly 1" and at most 3" of snow are expected across the Great Lakes by Monday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/web2-1768133218530.png">For the latest in the Central Region, tune in live at :30 past the hour or get it on demand anytime with the WeatherNation app.

Adrian Hernandez

Rounds of Snow Returning to the Midwest

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

Jesse Kelley

One Year Later: Palisades and Eaton Fires

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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.

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<h1>Outlooks &amp; Timing</h1>Friday night and Saturday morning was active tracking severe weather and flash flooding. We do have some good news as the severe weather threat has ended! The National Weather Service crews will be out surveying a few areas where tornadoes did touchdown across the South. Check out some of the damage Saturday morning as strong winds moved through Central Alabama.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/VO_011026_RSE_DALLAS COUNTY, AL_2 OF 3 DOWNED TREES AFTER TORNADO SWEPT THOGH SAT AM_FB_MS_E011026-1768076721260.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Throughout the rest of the afternoon and evening hours, the showers and few embedded storms will continue to work their way east towards the Atlantic coast. The forecast will be drier and windier for Sunday across the South. It is possible the remaining storms could produced an additional half an inch to an inch of rain. The Flood Watch across Alabama and Georgia will expire later this afternoon.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/New Baron Video 3-1768076980959.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/01/1-1768076918937.png">Catch updates during our top weather headlines (:00, :20, :40 past the hour) or get the latest regional update for the East and Central U.S. at :10 and :30 past the hour.

Severe Threat Has Ended in the South

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It’s an amazing sight to see, an alligator nose and mouth sticking through a frozen sheet of ice. The best thing about it is; that this is a natural response to cold conditions by alligators and it helps them survive freezing weather. 

The American Alligator like many other cold blooded reptiles, like it hot, but can survive in cold conditions.  When temperatures fall, alligators will slow activity and lose their appetite.  Even temperatures below 75° can slow down most gators who spend most of the winter in a hibernation-like state called brumation.

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Where alligators roam the waterways, freezing conditions and ice are rare, but when freezing circumstances present themselves the gators can still survive.

Most alligators will opt. to  excavate a den and hibernate until spring but will move to where it is the warmest when needed.  This past week in Brunswick County, North Carolina, as the coldest air moved in alligators took to the water which was warmer than the air.  

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Once in the water, alligators will position themselves with nostrils above the surface as ice forms around them.  Some may even get stuck in the ice for days before the ice melts and they can swim free.  

Alligators have persevered for thousands of years and it was reported that this one in North Carolina survive the cold and ice just fine.

Alligators Frozen in Place

Snow Chances For The Mid-South and Southeast This Week

WHAT TO EXPECT A trough of low pressure is ex

Record Warmth in Store For the West

RECORD WARMTH Here comes the warmth again acr

Temperature Whiplash for the Weekend

The first days of January have brought many r

Another Round of Ice and Snow for the Northeast This Weekend

The Northeastern U.S. has been one of the mor

Rounds of Snow Returning to the Midwest

After the last system brought heavy rainfall

One Year Later: Palisades and Eaton Fires

It has been one year since the Palisades and

Severe Threat Has Ended in the South

Outlooks & TimingFriday night and Saturda

Alligators Frozen in Place

Snow Chances For The Mid-South and Southeast This Week

WHAT TO EXPECT A trough of low pressure is ex

Record Warmth in Store For the West

RECORD WARMTH Here comes the warmth again acr

Temperature Whiplash for the Weekend

The first days of January have brought many r

Another Round of Ice and Snow for the Northeast This Weekend

The Northeastern U.S. has been one of the mor

Rounds of Snow Returning to the Midwest

After the last system brought heavy rainfall

One Year Later: Palisades and Eaton Fires

It has been one year since the Palisades and

Severe Threat Has Ended in the South

Outlooks &amp; TimingFriday night and Saturda

Outlooks & TimingFriday night and Saturda