Dave Holder

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<p>Storms are returning for yet another weekend in the Deep South and while the severe threat looks to be most intense on Saturday, the Storm Prediction Center [SPC] has highlighted a risk overnight and Sunday as well. Overnight storms will have the potential to become severe at times, mostly driven by a large hail potential.</p><h2>Saturday</h2><p>As mentioned above, Saturday's storm chance looks to be the most widespread and intense, from Middle Tennessee through Alabama, the Mississippi Delta all the way west to East Texas. All modes of severe weather are possible. A few tornadoes are possible, particularly from Shreveport through Nashville.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/sat tors-1702059617765.png">While there remains a non-zero severe weather threat overnight, the frontal boundary responsible for the wet weather becomes more active into Saturday afternoon and evening. Storms are likely to persist into the overnight, with heavy rain and gusty winds the primary threats. Heavy rain will impact the I-95 corridor and Eastern Seaboard through the day on Sunday with embedded pockets of severe weather.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/satsevere-1702095304493.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h2>Sunday</h2><p>The severe threat will hit much of the Southeast coast on Friday with the potential of damaging winds and isolated tornadoes. Storms will likely be ongoing overnight Saturday into Sunday before daytime heating increases once again on Sunday, prompting more storm development closer to I-95.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/sunday-1702071259316.png">In addition to the severe weather threat, heavy rain could cause flooding. Most spots east of the Mississippi River will get at least an inch of rain, but parts of Mississippi through the Carolinas could get 3-4" of rain with locally higher totals possible. This amount of rain over parched soils could cause runoff, ponding on the roadways, and rising creek and river levels.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/sunsevere-1702095454477.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>The South could certainly use the rain, where extreme and exceptional drought conditions cover much of the area. Heavy rain over the first week of December put a small dent in some of the worst of the drought conditions, but persistent drought remains widespread in the South and Southeast.</p>

Severe Storm Threat Through Sunday for the South

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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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<p>Rain and snow are on the way for the East Coast this weekend and early next week as a frontal boundary moves north from the Deep South, tapping into significant moisture. The rain, along with isolated severe storms, starts for the Midwest and Mid-South Saturday night but becomes much more widespread by Sunday morning. The front then pushes into the Northeast, with rain changing over to snow for high elevation spots overnight Sunday into Monday. The precip with this front will be primarily rain though, which will continue through midday Monday before moving offshore. Thankfully the heaviest rain holds off until after the Army-Navy game at Gillette Stadium so it will be mostly dry for the festivities!</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/12-08 RNE Rain Snow-1702094497034.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h2>Forecast Rain</h2><p>Pockets of rain 3"+ are possible along I-95, into eastern VA, PA, NY and western New England. This could be enough for flash flooding, with ponding on the roads and rising rivers and creeks. Widespread rain totals through the region will be 1-2".</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot 2023-12-08 163802-1702078755283.jpg">Widespread flood alerts have been issued through the Northeast to account for the incoming rainfall. Don't drive through flooded roadways and watch out for fast running rivers, creeks and streams.</p><h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/FLOOD ALERTS-1702070019299.png">Forecast Snow</h2><p>There will be enough cold air and moisture associated with this front for scattered snow throughout the region, but not for our major I-95 cities. The heaviest snow will fall on the backside of the low, mostly through the second half of the day on Sunday into Monday in eastern New York, Pennsylvania and Appalachia. The Adirondacks and mountains of New England will be the focus for the heaviest snow, upwards of 6"+, but most totals will be on the order of 1-4".</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/12-08 RNE snow-1702094851117.png"></p><p>The Weather Prediction Center [WPC] has highlighted the potential for heavy snow in northern New England on Monday and winter storm WATCHES are in effect from Sunday into Monday for the same region. Up to 18" of snow could be possible for the highest peaks.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/snow watch-1702066108109.png"></p><h2>Temperatures</h2><p>Ahead of the front, highs will soar into the 50s and even the lower 60s this weekend! This is near record high territory along the I-95 corridor including Boston, NYC and D.C. Temperatures will run about 10-20° above average through the weekend. Enjoy this weather now, because temperatures will come crashing down with the passing of the frontal boundary Monday into Tuesday.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/records-1702060578084.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/3 day temps-1702060578082.png"></p><h2>Wind Forecast</h2><p>The other factor will be strong winds, especially along the immediate coastline from Maine to North Carolina. Winds could gust upwards of 40 mph at times Sunday into Monday so secure anything that can blow away in the wind. Our strongest winds will be overnight Sunday into Monday when power outages could be likely for areas just along and east of the I-95 corridor.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/winds-1702046373872.png">High wind watches are in effect for coastal Maine, the Cape and the Islands of Massachusetts, and Long Island. Gusts could be upwards of 70 mph at times on Monday morning. Even outside of the alerted areas, winds could be 30-40 mph at times. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/12-08 RNE winds-1702095158909.png"></p>

Wet Weekend Forecast for the East Coast

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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>As temperatures drop across the Northeast a large number of sea turtles are becoming "hypothermic" or "cold-stunned" off the coast of Massachusetts in the cold ocean waters. The New England Aquarium is now treating the sea turtles that have washed ashore and are in critical condition. </p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/VON_112923_RNE_BOSTON, MA_OVER 200 'COLD-STUNNED' SEA TURTLES ARE TREATED AMID ANNUAL STRANDING SEASON_SF_NEW ENGLAND AQUARIUM_NC_E120823-1702052444487.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>According to the New England Aquarium "The turtles began to strand on Cape Cod in early November. Staff and volunteers from <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.massaudubon.org/get-outdoors/wildlife-sanctuaries/wellfleet-bay"><strong><em><u>Massachusetts Audubon Wellfleet Bay Wildlife Sanctuary</u></em></strong></a> have been walking the beaches along Cape Cod Bay in search of cold-stunned turtles and transporting the animals to the Aquarium’s <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.neaq.org/conservation-and-research/studying-and-protecting/sea-turtle-rescue/"><strong><em><u>Sea Turtle Hospital</u></em></strong></a> in Quincy, MA, where they are treated for life-threatening medical conditions resulting from hypothermia and the inability to feed."</p><p>This is not uncommon for late Fall and early Winter due to changing water and temperature patterns. The natural geography of Cape Cod (a hook shape) can mean sea turtles get trapped in Massachusetts bay and unable to swim south into warmer ocean waters. According to the aquarium, "in an unusual occurrence, five cold-stunned sea turtles have washed ashore in Hull and Hingham this season, which could indicate that more turtles in Massachusetts Bay are inhabiting a wider range of locations."</p><p>This season the New England Aquarium has treated 214 sea turtles: 189 critically endangered Kemp’s ridley turtles, 19 green turtles, and six loggerheads. Treatment includes exams, bloodwork and x-rays to treat dehydration, pneumonia and potential fractures. The goal is release the turtles back into the ocean but treatment can take weeks or months depending on the severity of their condition. </p><p>After the initial injuries are treated, staff at the New England Aquarium work with partners to move turtles to other aquariums and rescue facilities, including in North Carolina and Washington, D.C.. The turtles are transported by ground or by air, through the non-profit "Turtles Fly Too" where volunteer pilots transport the sea turtles to other facilities. </p><p style="text-align: start">For the full press release from the New England Aquarium, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.neaq.org/about-us/press-room/press-releases/aquarium-treats-more-than-200-sea-turtles/"><strong><em><u>click here</u></em></strong></a>. </p>

Aquarium Saves Turtles Suffering from Cold

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<p>After a record setting 2022-23 winter season for the Southwest U.S. including 12 atmospheric rivers that brought heavy rain and snow to California, Nevada and the 4 Corners region, the 2023-34 Winter season is getting off to a slower start. In fact, <strong>73% </strong>of western U.S. snow reporting stations are seeing Snow Water Equivalent [SWE] below normal and <strong>42% </strong>of stations are below the 30th percentile for SWE. Some of the most drastic conditions are in the Sierra Nevada and northern Montana. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/Snow_Water_Equivalent_Percent_NRCS_1991-2020_Median_December_5_2023-1702059335494.jpeg">NIDIS attributes the drought conditions due to the minimal precipitation or "snow drought" seen across the region.  In Colorado and Utah, most reporting stations are seeing SWE right around average with the worst of the conditions in the Rio Grande Basin and the Sangre de Cristo mountains of southern Colorado and New Mexico. </p><p>Of course snow drought isn't the only reason why the intermountain west is experiencing drought conditions. A lackluster monsoon season in New Mexico can be blamed for setting up extreme (level 4 out of 5) drought conditions from summer into early fall. In the latest Drought update, the National Integrated Drought Information System with NOAA announced that the southern 4 Corners region of Arizona and New Mexico are experiencing high levels of drought with 96.8% of New Mexico in drought conditions. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/drought-1702059178441.png">Additionally, most of the winter storms so far in the 2023-24 water year (which runs October 1 - September 30) have benefited the Pacific Northwest, as recently as the first week of December when warmer temperatures melted snowpack and lead to rivers running high and subsequent flooding. </p><p>The other factor has been warmer than average temperatures, due in part to a strong El Nino pattern which typically results in warmer temperatures for the western states and northern Rockies. That pattern is likely to continue into the winter months. The other factor with El Nino is the likelihood of drought conditions expanding across the Southwest U.S. which could be trouble for an area that is still recovering from decades-long drought. Despite the active 2022-23 winter and meaningful moisture contributing to low reservoirs across the mountain west, "Lakes Powell and Mead continue to run very low with respect to long-term averages, given the overall dryness and warmth of the last couple of decades" according to Curtis Riganti of the National Drought Mitigation Center in Nebraska. </p>

"Snow Drought" Threatening Western U.S.

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<p>The Northwestern United States has been hammered by wave after wave of rain and snowfall over the last few days, causing rivers to run high and flooding around cities and recent area burn scars. We reached major flood stage and set a new record for river height on the Stillaguamish River in northern Washington which caused the river to overflow its banks into the city of Arlington and a state of emergency was issued in Oregon following heavy rain that washed out roadways.</p><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1732980824713404442" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1732980824713404442"></div><p>The reason for the high running rivers is due to a couple of reasons: first we had heavy rain, second we saw record warm temperatures across the PNW which caused a rapid melt of recent snowfall in the Cascades into rivers, creeks and streams. </p><p>Unfortunately, the wet and unsettled pattern continues for the Pacific Northwest as yet another wave of energy moves onshore late Friday night and continues through Saturday. We will have the opportunity for more rain, and this time snow, as temperatures continue to be cold enough in the high country to support mountain snow.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/2023-12-08 11-28-00-1702060135349.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>In terms of additional snowfall Friday into Saturday, we could see 6-12", depending on elevation. In combination with the snow from Friday our mountain peaks could pick up on a foot plus of fresh snowfall. This is good news, especially for the Cascades, where snowpack has significantly melted due to recent warm temperatures and rainfall.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/snow-1702045079318.png">Rainfall totals won't be quite as impressive compared to this past week but still a couple inches of new rainfall will be possible for the spine of the Cascades which will certainly elevate the flood threat especially given how saturated soils are in the area. Please avoid rivers, creeks and streams and be aware of any mountain roadways for mudslides and debris flow. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/pnw rain-1702071830141.png"></p>

Steve Glazier

More Rain this Weekend in the PNW

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<p>The next winter storm is underway in the Northern Plains into Saturday as upper-level energy moves in from the West Coast. The biggest impact from this storm system looks to be strong winds which could gust upwards of 50 mph through the Dakotas creating blizzard-like conditions. Wind alerts are in effect to account for the threat. On the warmer side of this storm system, there is the opportunity for storms in the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/severe-threat-returns-saturday"><strong><em><u>Deep South on Saturday</u></em></strong></a>.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/wind alerts-1702072926262.png">Winter Weather Alerts are in effect for much of the Dakotas, parts of Montana and Wyoming as well. The heaviest snow will be for the Dakotas where a widespread 1-3" will be possible. Again, the wind will create pockets of blowing and drifting snow leading to hazardous travel along I-90 and I-94.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/snow threat-1702072971013.png"></p><p>A frontal boundary has moved across the Plains and snow is filling in through the evening tonight and dropping temperatures from the record setting highs we saw earlier this week. Snow showers continue through the night and into the Upper Midwest on Saturday. </p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/2023-12-08 14-59-24-1702072866974.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>

Wind & Snow Hit the High Plains Tonight

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<p>Steady rain for the northern California coast and mountain snowfall hit the region on Thursday but energy is now pushing east, impacting Utah, Colorado and Wyoming today. Snowfall rates of up to 1/2" per hour could be possible at times, reducing visibility and causing slick travel on I-80, I-70, and other mountain highways. Winter Weather Alerts are in effect for the region into Saturday morning although most snow tapers off by early evening Friday. </p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/2023-12-08 11-21-40-1702059729325.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>Snowfall accumulations will be most impressive through the Tetons of Wyoming, where upwards of half a foot of snow could be possible into the end of this workweek. Again, this is great for ski resorts but will make traveling tough!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot 2023-12-07 212026-1702009295371.png">The Centennial State's ski resorts will also see beneficial snow, with some of the highest amounts topping up to 9" in the Steamboat Springs area!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/12/Screenshot 2023-12-07 164536-1701992749671.jpg"></p>

Snow Hits Colorado & Utah Today

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Blizzard conditions are in full swing across much of the midwest. Chicago is NOW included in the Blizzard Warning in effect for the next 12-24 hours.

Visibility levels are down to a quarter mile or less in some spots due to the prolonged winds gusting close to 30-40 mph creating white-out conditions.

<img class="alignnone wp-image-100280" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/11/Capture-33-728x408.jpg" alt="Blizzard Warnings Continue For The Midwest" width="879" height="492" />

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Rain will change over to snow for Chicago late tonight into early Monday morning where approximately 8-12" of snow is expected to accumulate very fast.

Winds will gust close to 45 mph for Chicago through Monday morning knocking visibility levels down to a 1/4 mile or less for your morning commute.

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-100281" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/11/ezgif.com-video-to-gif-17-1.gif" alt="Blizzard Warnings Continue For The Midwest" width="880" height="497" />

Conditions for Chicago will rapidly go down hill beginning this evening between 6 - 8 pm.

<img class="alignnone wp-image-100284" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/11/ezgif.com-video-to-gif-18-1.gif" alt="Blizzard Warnings Continue For The Midwest" width="879" height="495" />

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-100283" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/11/Capture-35-728x408.jpg" alt="Blizzard Warnings Continue For The Midwest" width="873" height="489" />

Conditions will not improve for Illinois until the afternoon hours on Monday as winds will remain strong even after the snow tapers off.

Meteorologist <a href="https://media.weathernationtv.com/team/merry-matthews/">Merry Matthews</a>

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