Kevin Schneider

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CALIFORNIA - Atmospheric moisture is being directed towards California through the weekend, with intense amounts of rainfall and snowfall in the forecast ahead. There are pros and cons to this push of moisture; the pro is that the snowpack in the Sierra Nevada is struggling. The northern Sierra is currently only at 4% of average, and across the mountains, we're averaging about 17% of normal for today.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-19 113553-1766169386259.png">As mentioned, areas up and down the Sierra Nevada Mountains are in desperate need of snow. This year, we've picked up less than 20% of what we normally should by this time of year. We'll try to change that going into the next few days. As the firehose drops south late this week into the weekend, rain will initially be the biggest concern. Snow levels will struggle to get all the way down to pass level at first, with this being a bit of a warm system.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-19 113650-1766169415856.png">But moving into the weekend, the snow levels will drop. But the best moisture might ultimately end up in the southern portion of the mountain range.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/FORECAST-1766193205592.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Heavy, persistent rain will be the greatest threat going into the weekend, as it may not let up before rolling into the holiday travel week. By then, some areas could be staring down rainfall totals surpassing a FOOT!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-19 113833-1766169526518.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-19 113839-1766169533380.png">This is a ways away, however, so be sure to check back with the forecast as we grow closer to the weekend.

Patrick Crawford

Heavy Rain and Snow Moves Into California Next Week

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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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WEST - A river of moisture has been directed towards the western United States for the last week, bringing record rainfall, historic river flooding, and damage to homes and property. While this river will shift to California through some of the early weekend, we're still not out of the woods in the Pacific Northwest.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2001283739846906166" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2001283739846906166"></div><h1>Forecast Timing</h1>Moving forward, the heaviest of the rain will be focused in on California. However, our northwestern mountains will be stuck in the clouds so we can expect heavy snowfall totals to start to accumulate. Most of these systems have been seeing warm moisture as opposed to cold moisture, so snow levels have been quite high. With the cooler Pacific air behind the system, it should be could enough to keep accumulating snowfall.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/FORECAST-1766193036916.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>As snow levels drop, winter weather will complete the trifecta of weather hazards with this system. Some winter alerts continue through the weekend.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/PIC 2-1766193079854.jpg"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-19 114448-1766170540680.png">Rainfall totals have surpassed 7-8 inches already, with more on the way. The heaviest of the rain looks to line up farther south, aiming at Oregon and northern California.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 183807-1766021892377.png">Additional rounds of heavy rain and snow are expected into the week. We won't have a lot of new snow when temperatures begin to drop.Through Christmas, the Climate Prediction Center has a higher confidence that conditions will stay wetter than normal.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 183826-1766021911839.png">For more details, be sure to join us live at :50 past the hour for your Western Regional forecast.

ATMOSPHERIC RIVER: Winds Topping 100 MPH In the Northwest

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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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Unseasonably warm temperatures continue to dominate much of the western and now south-central United States, as an area of high pressure keeps the jet stream north, helping to lock in the warm air. We saw yet another day of record highs across the West! The record warmth potential will continue through this upcoming weekend. The warm temperatures are bringing a spring-like feel to cities across the southwest. Denver and Albuquerque normally see highs in the 40s, but will be pushing well into the 60s! This will continue as we head towards the Christmas Holidays, shifting farther east into Texas and Oklahoma.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-19 114801-1766170086873.png">Here's a look at who can break records this week:<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Web2-1765970860606.png">As we look at the temperature trend for December 25th - 29th, there is strong confidence that a large portion of the country will be well above average.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-19 171437-1766189684069.png">Make sure to tune into WeatherNation :50 past the hour, every hour for your Western regional forecast.

Record Warmth Continues

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WeatherNation Meteorologists

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<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/GtdF4xLBGXc" start="0"></iframe></div>As 2025 comes to an end, many people are expected to travel for the holiday season. AAA expects an increase in travelers compared to last year, 2024. The forecast calls for 119.7 million travelers, which is a 2.2% increase from 2024.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-10 151722-1765405796099.png">Traveling by car is the favorite for the holidays. AAA notes gas prices, on average, are also down in comparison to 2024.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-10 151733-1765406300348.png">Air travel is also up since 2024 by 2.3%. AAA expects 8.03 million people to be traveling to their destinations for the holidays via airplane. This will be the first time air travel for the year end holiday will exceed 8 million.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-10 151738-1765406099314.png">All other travel has also gone up by 9% since last year. This includes cruises, bus travel, and travel by train.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-10 151743-1765406410699.png">The top 10 destinations domestically are as follows:<ol><li>Orlando, FL</li><li>Fort Lauderdale, FL</li><li>Miami, FL</li><li>Anaheim/Los Angeles, CA</li><li>Honolulu, HI</li><li>Tampa, FL</li><li>New York City, NY</li><li>Maui, HI</li><li>Dallas/Fort Worth, TX</li><li>Las Vegas, NV</li></ol>For those major destinations, below are the busiest travel times.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-10 151754-1765406540451.png">More more information on the AAA travel forecast, including details on best and worst travel times: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://newsroom.aaa.com/2025/12/aaa-year-end-holiday-travel-forecast/">Year-End Holiday Travel Expected to Set New Record</a>.

End of Year Travel Expected to Break Records

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Dave Holder

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As wind intensifies once again across the Front Range with a dry, downsloping wind, fire weather conditions have dramatically increased. In fact, the Storm Prediction Center has issued a somewhat rare Critical Fire Risk from Boulder to Cheyenne (above).<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-19 123816-1766173281347.png">Red Flag Warnings will remain in place across the Denver metro area, northward into the High Plains of Wyoming, for the rest of the night.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-19 123131-1766173410757.png"><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/YPs_4Hc38Ok" start="0"></iframe></div>In addition, within the Red Flag Warning is a higher-end, PDS (Particularly Dangerous Situation) Warning. Here, to the west of a line from Golden to Boulder to Lyons, wind gusts could exceed 100mph! With down-sloping winds, relative humidity will be low, possibly dropping into the single digits at times.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-19 123825-1766173570820.png">Enhancing the wildfire potential is the amount of fuel. The Front Range of northern Colorado into Wyoming has been very dry as of late. A Moderate to Severe Drought remains highlighted across the entire Red Flag Warning area.

Extreme Critical Fire Risk in Colorado Friday

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Tracey Anthony

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It's been a cold start to the week for millions! Areas around the Great Lakes and Ohio River Valley took the most recent Arctic outbreak on the chin, with temperatures plummeting below zero in some instances. On Monday, as winds flipped out of the south, we began to thaw out and most of us are feeling either seasonable or above average by Wednesday. However......The Arctic air isn't getting shoved too far away. This week, we unlock another block of the cold stuff and slide it southward. The good news? It looks like it's not quite as brutal as the last shot.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/PIC 2-1766108303423.jpg">A system will emerge out of the Rockies again, moving into much warmer temperatures by Wednesday. How much rain/snow/mud will that system drop? Relate Article: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/rainy-system-to-move-over-snow">Sloppy System Moves into the Midwest</a>More importantly, the temperatures swinging on the other side of it will send another chill down the spine of the Heartland. Wednesday night will be the rudest, while Thursday night will likely be the coldest, but should see the winds subsiding. Bismarck, the usual poster child for nasty cold, will only top out in the single digits Thursday afternoon and Grand Forks will be near 20 below Friday AM.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Web 4-1766069713419.png">Like a trampoline, temperatures rebound the following day for most.

Returning Back to the Freezer This Week

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Brittany Lockley

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NORTHERN PLAINS - A low-pressure system originating from the northwest has moved through the plains and is now pushing into the Great Lakes. This system will move into warmer air, so models are favoring rainfall, as opposed to snowfall. There are winter alerts and blizzard warnings that remain in effect for snow and low visibility. Wind gusts can be as high as 70 mph, with an additional 1-4" of snowfall in the blizzard warning.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-18 075831-1766069925707.png">There have been several recently clipper systems that moved into the Northern tier of the country. The systems dumped a decent amount of snowfall, whch lead to a a decent snowpack on the ground across the plains and the Great Lakes.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-18 075856-1766070030595.png">With this next system moving in and bringing rain, this could lead to a bit of slush out there as the rain melts away the snowfall. The system moves through fast and over the Midwest and into the northeast on Thursday.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/2025-12-18 07-59-22-1766069997751.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Precipitation totals will be fairly minimal because of the speed at which this system moves through.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-18 075911-1766070017438.png">For some, temperatures will be impacted by this front. For instance, look at Bismarck, North Dakota, a high of 42 on Wednesday and 30 degrees cooler by Thursday with a high of 10.For more details on this, be sure to join us on WeatherNation live! We stream 24/7.

Messy System Moving into the Midwest

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Historic rainfall and flooding pounded Madison, Wisconsin on Monday night and Tuesday morning, leading to one fatality.

One man was killed in flood waters, according to WeatherNation affiliate WMTV in Madison.

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Two other passengers were in the vehicle of the deceased man, who was driving. The other two passengers were able to be rescued.

This was part of Madison's 7th-wettest day on record on Monday, when nearly four inches of rain fell at Madison's Dane County Airport. Other reports near Madison, particularly on the city's west side, received well over a foot of rainfall.

<img class="alignleft wp-image-95791 size-full" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/08/wiscsonsin-rain-totals.png" alt="Deadly Overnight Flooding in Madison, Wisconsin" width="1920" height="1080" />

A strong area of low pressure moving through the nation's heartland helped to set up a band of torrential rainfall, one that  stalled over Madison and southern Wisconsin on Monday night. That led to the majority of the heavy rainfall in the above totals falling in just a few hours.

The good news is a stretch of badly-needed dry weather returns to the area later this week. Cool, almost fall-like temperatures will be in the picture, along with sunny skies. That'll last through Thursday, before more showers and storms work back into the picture by Friday and Saturday - though these aren't expected to be nearly as bad as what we saw on Monday and Tuesday.

<img class="alignleft wp-image-95789 size-full" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/08/mad7.png" alt="Deadly Overnight Flooding in Madison, Wisconsin" width="1920" height="1080" />

Stay with WeatherNation for the latest on the flooding in southern Wisconsin.

For WeatherNation: Meteorologist <a href="https://media.weathernationtv.com/team/chris-bianchi/">Chris Bianchi</a>