Kevin Schneider

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If it's not a foot and a half of snow in the Dakotas, a lot of these systems have been tossing decorations and trash cans alike. Here comes another one.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-06 112852-1775496801974.png"><h1>WIND</h1>A lot of wind energy with this trough of low pressure, which will be the biggest impact out of the next few days. Wind alerts cover quite a bit of real estate in Montana, where winds could gust as high as 90 mph in the highest elevations! Wednesday looks like the windiest day in the Upper Midwest.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-07 06-14-20-1775556887065.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h1>SEVERE</h1>That front will be the focus of what could be a few severe chances. Right now, Wednesday and Thursday look like the best bet, with slightly better thunderstorm coverage. Storms look to fire around the front and move into slightly colder temperatures north of it. The biggest concern right now will be large hail. The Storm Prediction Center is circling portions of Kansas with the highest threat for Wednesday. This outlook expands across Nebreaska, North Texas, and even northern Missouri come Thursday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-07 061526-1775556941562.png"><h1>PRECIPITATION</h1>As this system sets up, there will still be cold air in the vicinity of this shot at rain. The warm air could be slow to build in, which would bring in a threat of freezing rain back to northern Wisconsin and Michigan. Right now, the threat appears limited since temperatures will gradually warm, but one worth watching.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-07 06-17-34-1775557081158.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>

Adrian Hernandez

Windy System Blows in Midweek

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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!

Alana Cameron

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A low-pressure system that moved over Texas brought more than 3 inches of rainfall to parts of the state on Sunday. This was much-needed rain for many drought-stricken areas.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-07 060930-1775556581941.png">This system is expected to move over the Gulf and track toward Florida as we head through the week, bringing showers and thunderstorms along with it.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-06 153632-1775511398986.png">We've already seen rain totals topping 4 inches just in the last 24 hours across Florida!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-07 061242-1775556768005.png">An upper-level low, combined with a trailing surface front, will lead to periods of heavy rain across the Sunshine State. Forecast models continue to show widespread showers and storms across Florida, especially during the afternoons throughout the week. The front is expected clear the region later Tuesday and rain will continue into Wednesday.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/2026-04-07 06-10-06-1775556633965.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Rainfall totals may exceed 5-7 inches over the course of the week. As a result, an excessive rainfall outlook has been issued for parts of the Atlantic Coast, with a level 1 out of 4, MARGINAL risk, for flash flooding for the next several days.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-07 061058-1775556673142.png">This rain arrives at a critical time, as Florida’s drought conditions have worsened in the latest update. Much of the state is now experiencing extreme to exceptional drought (levels 4-5), which has already led to water restrictions.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-05 171122-1775430689163.png">So while this rain is much-needed for a drought-stricken state, it also raises concerns for flooding, making this a week of both relief and risk across Florida.

Florida: Rain Coming to Drought-Stricken State

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NEW RECORD - At 1:56 PM ET on Monday, April 6, 2026, the Artemis II crew broke the record for the farthest distance anyone has traveled from Earth. The previous record was 248,655 miles during the Apollo 13 mission in 1970. At 7:07 PM ET, they reached their maximum distance of 252,756 miles from Earth. Later that day, the crew experienced a 40-minute communications blackout with mission control in Houston as they passed over the far side of the Moon before reestablishing contact.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2041225429772882179" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2041225429772882179"></div>LIFTOFF - At 6:35 PM ET on Wednesday, April 1, 2026, NASA launched astronauts on an historic mission to the Moon. This marks the first crewed lunar flyby in more than 50 years, dating back to the Apollo era.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2039477801787769177" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2039477801787769177"></div>NASA’s Space Launch System sent four astronauts, Reid Wiseman, Victor Glover, Christina Koch, and Jeremy Hansen, aboard the Orion spacecraft on a test flight around the Moon and back. This 10-day mission will demonstrate life support systems and help lay the foundation for future deep space exploration.<h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-28 091928-1774711352235.png">What's Next for Artemis II?</h2><ul><li>Day 1: focused on launch and entering Earth orbit.</li><li>Days 2-4: outbound transit toward the Moon.</li><li>Days 5-6: Orion will fly by the Moon, entering its sphere of influence, where the Moon becomes the dominant gravitational force.</li><li>Days 7-10: return trip to Earth, followed by re-entry and splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, where the U.S. Navy will recover the capsule.</li></ul>We are currently in the lunar flyby stage. This is the point of the mission where Orion is moving into the moon's gravitational sphere of influence and away from Earth's gravitational pull. On Day 6, Artemis II will move to the far side of the moon and lose contact with Earth for 40 minutes.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-01 180532-1775088336863.png">After sling shotting around the moon, Orion will head back toward earth near the end of next week. Several burns will reposition the spacecraft before it re-enters Earth's atmosphere next Friday. It is expected to splashdown in the Pacific near San Diego. We will be monitoring the forecast in this area of the Pacific closely for any impacts. Check back for updates!<h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-02 073719-1775137047865.png"></h2><h2>What is the Future of the Artemis Program?</h2>In simple terms, Artemis is the first step in a broader effort to send humans to Mars. Before that, NASA aims to return astronauts to the Moon and establish a sustained presence while testing humanity’s ability to live and work beyond Earth’s orbit. Artemis II, specifically, will send astronauts around the Moon and back.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/03/Screenshot 2026-03-28 091131a-1774710738504.jpg">This will be the first mission since 1972 to take humans beyond low Earth orbit, and potentially farther from Earth than any human has traveled before. NASA currently plans a series of Artemis missions, with Artemis IV expected to land astronauts on the Moon.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-01 180027-1775088036041.png">Artemis II marks a major step forward in human space exploration, pushing us farther than we’ve gone in decades, and bringing us one step closer to returning to the Moon… and eventually, reaching Mars.

Farthest Humans Ever from Earth: Artemis II

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

Taban Sharifi

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The drought conditions have started to increase into extreme and exceptional levels out west with the lack of moisture, especially across the northern four-corners. Any moisture to make it this way will be beneficial to the area.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-05 170244-1775430223227.png">There will be a few chances for general thunderstorms through Tuesday across the Four Corners. This will bring some moisture in the form of rainfall and some snow for the higher elevations.<h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-06 192759-1775525298416.png">More Moisture Later This Week</h2>Later in the week, a digging trough will keep the pattern active. This increases some of the chances out west to keep moisture in the forecast. By Thursday, forecast models are in agreement that more rain will develop from California to the Four Corners.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/0406-1775511626425.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>For now, the totals do not look high, but any and all moisture is welcome.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-06 154031-1775511636054.png">In the longer range forecasts, there is a confidence of higher than normal precipitation ahead from April 11-15.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-06 154047-1775511651652.png">More on your Western Regional Forecast can be found :50 past the hour on WeatherNation.

Tracey Anthony

West Pattern: Moisture Returns

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Several rounds of severe storms have tracked across the Central and Eastern half of the country over the past few days. On Friday, storms in the Central Plains were strong enough to produce hailstones bigger than golf balls! Crews are out to survey damage around Ohio as storms continued to press east on Saturday. The front is exiting the Atlantic coastline tonight. A marginal threat for a few strong storms with damaging winds remains in place.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/pic6-1775251677983.png">By late Sunday night, many areas will have cleared from the showers and the storms.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/0405-1775429929404.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>

Severe Storms Push East Easter Sunday

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Unseasonably warm air is taking over much of the eastern United States this holiday weekend, bringing a taste of summer well ahead of schedule. Temperatures are soaring 15 to 25 degrees above average from the Southeast through the Mid-Atlantic and into parts of the Northeast, with many cities climbing into the upper 80s. Record highs did fall on Saturday.This early-season heat is not just about warm afternoons, it is also setting the stage for active weather. As the atmosphere becomes more unstable, the risk for thunderstorms increases. Some of these storms could turn strong to severe, producing gusty winds and heavy downpours as the warm, humid air fuels their development.&nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-04 062651-1775305669351.jpg">But the summer-like stretch will not last long. A cold front is sweeping across the eastern half of the country, bringing rounds of rain and thunderstorms along the East Coast. Behind it, a much cooler air mass will move in, quickly knocking temperatures back down into the 40s and 50s this weekend before slowly creeping up next week.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/1-1775354976877.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/1-1775355006395.png">By the start of the new week, the same areas that experienced near-record warmth will feel a much different air mass. Highs across parts of the Northeast are expected to drop into the 50s, marking a sharp return to more typical early spring conditions. The rapid shift from warmth to chill is a classic example of springtime “weather whiplash,” where dramatic temperature swings can happen in just a matter of days.&nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-04 062717-1775305657001.jpg">

Cold Front Ends Record Heat

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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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On the northern side of the strong low creating severe weather chances, snow and ice continue across the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes. Since Thursday, ice has accreted up to half an inch thick in parts of Wisconsin.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-04 051736-1775301472809.png">Thousands of residents are in the dark because of trees falling on power lines, though those numbers did improve through the day on Friday. Heavy snow began to fall and accumulate quickly on Friday, with totals by Saturday morning already surpassing a foot! <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-04 051622-1775301480296.png">Winter alerts are out including Ice Storm Warnings for Northern Wisconsin and the UP of Michigan. Some areas could see ice totals up to a half inch. The new ice concerns are already over some of the same areas who may still be in the dark from Thursday's event. Heavy snow will continue on the back side for the Dakotas and northern Minnesota where winter storm warnings are in effect. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-04 050901-1775300950885.png">Freezing rain looks to persist in northern Michigan through the mid-to-late morning, possibly into the early afternoon. Heavy snow will gradually shift east behind the low, coming down heavily from the Dakotas through Northern Minnesota.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/FORECAST-1775318235906.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>An additional 4-8 inches of snow (image top of page) will be likely across the Dakotas and Minnesota. In addition, significant icing looks to be possible across Michigan. Travel will be tough this weekend so avoid travel if you can!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-04 051504-1775301371890.png">

Patrick Crawford

Snow and Ice Persist on Saturday in the Upper-Midwest

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Patrick Crawford has always been a huge weather buff! He grew up in Plano, Texas, and it was there that he experienced what Mother Nature was capable of doing. He would always turn on the television to see what local meteorologists were saying about the weather. That's when he realized he wanted to be a meteorologist.

Patrick graduated from Northern Illinois University (’04) with a degree in Meteorology and a double minor in Mathematics and Geography. Broadcast Meteorology has been great to him and he has been able to work in television markets all across the country. Some of his stops have included New Orleans, Green Bay and even Yuma, Arizona. He is so excited to be part of the WeatherNation team.

He has been awarded the prestigious CBM (Certified Broadcast Meteorologist) weather seal from the American Meteorological Society.

Feel free to catch up with Patrick Crawford on his <a href="https://www.facebook.com/MeteorologistPC/">Facebook</a> and on <a href="https://twitter.com/MeteorologistPC">Twitter</a> pages.

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Strong winds out of the North will not only bring in some very cold temperatures, but the winds will make it feel even colder for several States across the Plains. Here is the latest forecast.
<h1>Wind Chill Alerts</h1>
<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117395" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2020/01/wa-3.png" alt="" width="1608" height="942" />

Wind chill advisories are in place from Montana to Iowa this morning. So if you are in Glasgow or Des Moines, you will want to bundle up and stay safe if you have to be outdoors this morning.
<h1>Wind Chill Forecast</h1>
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<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117397" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2020/01/4p.png" alt="" width="1637" height="927" />

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-117401" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2020/01/8p.png" alt="" width="1639" height="907" />

The forecast is showing some minor improvement today, but the bitter cold wind chills will be slow to warm with readings staying near 20 below much of the day in North and South Dakota.

More updates are on the way all day on WeatherNation.

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Dangerous Wind Chills Across the Upper Midwest

Wind Chill Alerts

Wind Chill Forecast

Windy System Blows in Midweek

If it's not a foot and a half of snow in the

Florida: Rain Coming to Drought-Stricken State

A low-pressure system that moved over Texas b

Farthest Humans Ever from Earth: Artemis II

NEW RECORD - At 1:56 PM ET on Monday, April 6

West Pattern: Moisture Returns

The drought conditions have started to increa

Severe Storms Push East Easter Sunday

Several rounds of severe storms have tracked

Cold Front Ends Record Heat

Unseasonably warm air is taking over much of

Snow and Ice Persist on Saturday in the Upper-Midwest

On the northern side of the strong low creati