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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<p>FOUR CORNERS - Fresh snow is leading to unstable slopes and the avalanche risk through much of the Southwest and Northwest this week. In addition to your standard winter alerts, Colorado is under Avalanche Watches for the most dangerous avalanche conditions starting Tuesday and continuing through Thursday. Unfortunately, <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://avalanche.org/avalanche-accidents/">avalanches killed two</a> people this past weekend in Colorado alone - on March 17th and 19th. Our thoughts are with those impacted. Snow has been coming down across the Four Corners and will continue to last through midweek bringing wind, snow-covered roads, and heavy accumulations which could lead to potentially difficult travel. Winter weather alerts are in effect through much of the 4 Corners region (Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico) for higher elevation snowfall. This comes after half a foot of fresh snow in New Mexico and Colorado in the last 24 hours. An additional 12-24" of snow in Utah and 6-12" of snow in Colorado is possible.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-20_rsw_four corners alerts 6pm-1679358736233.JPG"></p><p>Snowfall totals of one to three feet are possible around the highest elevations of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico. The lower elevations can reach around 6-12 inches. This will result in difficult mountain travel, especially at night and over the high elevation passes.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-20_rsw_co ut snow 18z-1679358858355.JPG"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-20_Rsw_nm az snow 18z-1679358864329.JPG">In addition to snowfall concerns, we also have the risk of snowmelt combining with heavy rainfall to lead to the risk of flooding of rivers, creeks and streams from Southern California into Arizona and Nevada this week. Please be aware especially if you live in a flood-prone area and be prepared to leave if the rivers/streams begin to flood.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-20_Rsw az flood alerts-1679358870759.JPG">Rain and snow become much more widespread through Tuesday as a frontal system moves out of California and into the Four Corners. We will see wet weather continue throughout the day on Tuesday as Pacific moisture is carried inland. Snowfall levels will be above 7,000 feet generally, so don't expect much snow at the lower elevations of Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. The mountains, however, will see low visibility and difficult travel. Routes to watch will be I-80, I-70 and I-40.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-20_rsw_4 corn 18z-1679358887701.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>For more on the Southwestern forecast join us on WeatherNation at :50 past the hour.</p>

Avalanches in Colorado Claim the Lives of Two - Avalanche Alerts Continue this Week

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Lauren Bostwick grew up in the small town of Aledo, Texas. Her interests have always involved sports, science, and of course, the weather! After interning at KBTX in College Station, she graduated from Texas A&amp;M University with a B.S. in Meteorology. During her time at Texas A&amp;M she became efficient in many areas of meteorology such as analyzing the radar, detecting severe weather, and forecasting for different regions. Straight out of college, Lauren started her career as a Weekend Meteorologist and Multimedia Journalist at CBS7 in Odessa, Texas. Due to the large coverage area, she was responsible for forecasting for many types of terrain stretching from the Big Bend National Park to southeastern New Mexico. She has experienced reporting on a variety of severe weather events, such as tornadoes, disastrous flooding events, and the devastating February 2021 winter storm. Lauren is thrilled to be a part of the WeatherNation team. Say howdy to Lauren on <a href="https://twitter.com/LBostwickWX">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/LBostwickWX">Facebook</a>!

Lauren Bostwick

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<p>The California snowpack statewide is over double the normal, in particular, the southern Sierra has benefited the most from the active winter season. For example, Soda Springs, CA has received over 56 feet of snow this season, making this season the 2nd snowiest since records started in 1946! The Sierra is only about 11 feet shy of the record 1951-52 year. More snow is in the forecast, so snowfall totals could get awfully close to the number one spot in the next couple of weeks! Another upper-level low pressure is teaming up with an abundance of Pacific moisture, this will keep the southwest active through mid-week. We expect the heaviest rainfall to favor southern California while the heaviest snow favors the central and northern Sierra. Steady snow continues into Tuesday evening with showers into Wednesday. Dangerous rain and flooding are expected due to the falling rain and snowmelt in southern California and along the coastline. </p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/FORECAST-1679405648146.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p></p><h2>Flood Risk</h2><p>Once again flash flooding remains our primary concern, especially through southern California to include LA and San Diego along the I-5 corridor and HWY 101. Flood alerts are in effect here along with central Arizona and Nevada where snowmelt combines with heavy rainfall to create high running rivers, creeks and streams. Rain totals up to another 3" for coastal California and the Central Valleys will enhance the flood threat through Wednesday. Due to saturated soils from the previous downpours, an additional inch of rain could be enough to overwhelm the soils and cause flooding again. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/3-1679404770587.jpg"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/5-1679404246836.jpg"></p><h2>Snow Threat</h2><p>Winter alerts stretch through the Sierra Nevada and San Gabriel mountains for heavy snow and gusty winds. Notice where the Winter Storm Warnings (pink) are versus where the snowfall totals will be the heaviest. Those locations are where some of the heaviest snow and biggest impacts will be felt. Mountains over 7,000' could see accumulations from a foot to up to several additional feet of snow.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/1-1679404155490.jpg"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/2-1679404172092.jpg">Stay with WeatherNation for the latest in the snow amounts and timing for the Western U.S., the Western regional forecast is at :50 past the hour!</p>

Yet Another Atmospheric River Slams California with Flooding Rain & Mountain Snowfall

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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.

Patrick Crawford

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<p>An upper-level low-pressure system from the Pacific moves onshore Tuesday into Wednesday along the west coast and then is expected to move into the Plains by late week, triggering the potential for severe storms. When we look for the chance of severe thunderstorms the four ingredients we highlight make up the acronym <strong>SLIM</strong>: <strong>S</strong>hear,<strong> L</strong>ift, <strong>I</strong>nstability, and <strong>M</strong>oisture. As we head into the midweek, an upper-level low that will bring more rain and snow from California, Nevada, and the Four Corners, will eject into the Plains and bring along with it the shear and lift ingredients needed for storms. Down at the surface, southerly winds at the surface will help draw up Gulf moisture. Once our surface cold front moves in bringing in the lift and instability for storms, this teams up with moisture to help create thunderstorms.</p><h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-19_moisture SLIM-1679252987917.JPG">Thursday</h2><p>The severe storm risk on Thursday stretches from the Red River Valley in southern Oklahoma through central Texas. All modes of severe weather are possible, including large hail and tornadoes. Storms develop along the area of low pressure on Thursday afternoon and evening, posing the tornado threat due to the inherent spin in the atmosphere. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/spc thu-1679407314037.jpg"></p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/2023-03-21 07-58-58-1679407321668.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h2>Friday</h2><p>By Friday the severe weather risk will be across western Kentucky, Tennessee and down the Mississippi delta to Louisiana and the Gulf Coast. There is confidence in all modes of severe weather - please plan ahead to your outdoor activities for Friday if you live in the South. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/Capture4-1679394997275.JPG">Generally, forecast models have a difficult time pinpointing exactly where storms will fire when we look over 3 to 4 days out. Here is an early look at who wills see storms and where they will head based on the GFS model.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/2023-03-21 07-59-32-1679407505712.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>Details for this system still need to be fine-tuned, such as exact location, timing, and specific storm threats. Stay with WeatherNation for the latest.</p>

Severe Storm Chances Return to the Plains & South Late Week

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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>In addition to severe storms, heavy rain is expected from the Ohio Valley through the Ozarks. Rainfall totals are likely to range from 1-3 inches, with isolated higher totals. On the northern side of the surface low, generally, our rain shield sets up to create heavy soaking rain. Forecast models are aggressive on totals into the northern Mississippi and Ohio Valley. However, there are some slight differences on the axis of the heaviest rainfall. The GFS model shows the heaviest rainfall for the Ohio Valley and Midwest states while the Baron model puts the heaviest of the rain closer to the Arklatex. Bottom line, there is still time for this forecast to come into focus but we anticipate a streak of 4-5" of rainfall leading to the flash flood concern for many in the Central U.S..</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/gfs rainfall-1679408565135.jpg"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/baron rainfall-1679408595074.jpg"></p><p>The Weather Prediction Center has issued an excessive rainfall outlook for much of the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys on both Thursday and Friday with the incoming heavy rainfall. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-20_thu excess-1679337937494.JPG"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-20_fri exxcess-1679337944103.JPG"></p>

Heavy Rain & Flood Threat for the Ohio Valley Late Week

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<p>Temperatures have been much below average over the past several days, in fact, record-breaking! Frost and freeze alerts have been dominating the mornings, with temperatures in the teens and twenties. It is not out of the ordinary to see the last freeze and frost of the season in mid-March for many who live between I-10 and I-20 in the South, but with plants starting to blossom, this burst of cold has caused some issues. The coldest air will last today before the temperature then quickly shoots back up to seasonal and eventually, above average. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/8-1679399815897.png">A ridge of high pressure is building from the south, while the low responsible for cold temps retreats back into the northern tier of the country. Relief from the cold is back in-sight, just in-time for Spring Breakers to get on the beach!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/5-1679400768050.png">Temperatures will climb in the up-coming days going from chilly to warm! There is even an opportunity to tie or break records in Florida from Thursday through Sunday of this week. Highs will soar into the 80s with even some low 90s, potentially setting records each day this weekend. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/3-1679400867819.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/2-1679400879177.png">Stay with WeatherNation for the latest on the temperature swings, streaming 24/7!</p>

Record Cold to Record Heat for the Southeast

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<p>Winter weather alerts have been issued for northern Minnesota and North Dakota for 3 to 7 inches of snowfall. Winter Weather Advisories have been issued for the Bismarck area in North Dakota for 3 to 5 inches of snow. In Nebraska, we have Winter Weather Advisories in effect for a light coat of ice and snow which will make the roadways slippery. Rain and snow advance out of the Rockies along an area of low-pressure today, impacting the Dakotas with wind and heavy snowfall. The area of low pressure will then push into the Upper Great Lakes, bringing snow to the I-29 corridor with a sharp cutoff for central and southern Minnesota and Wisconsin. Be prepared for pockets of blowing snow and low visibility into Wednesday.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/2023-03-21 08-39-27-1679409660653.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/plains snowfall-1679409649512.jpg"></p><p>If you feel like we have had a particularly snowy winter in the Northern Plains, it has been. Both Minneapolis and Duluth are ahead of schedule for wet weather this year, with Minneapolis seeing its third snowiest winter ever on record! This next storm looks to be mainly raining for the Twin Cities area, but Duluth will pick up on additional meaningful snowfall.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-19_duluith mn snow-1679272346247.JPG"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-19_snowiest wwinters msp-1679272351351.JPG">For more on the next snow maker in the High Plains, join WeatherNation for your eastern regional forecast, always :30 past the hour.</p>

Winter Storm Warnings in the Northern Plains Tonight

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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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<h1>Northwestern U.S.</h1><p>Winter alerts remain in effect for the Bitterroots, Rockies, and Tetons. A moderate amount of snow is expected, with the highest elevations expecting around 10 inches. Greater impacts will be felt at higher elevations, with the valleys expecting only around 3-6", depending on your location.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/northwest-1679350617796.JPG">Rain and snow have been progressing east while also pivoting around another low center off the coast of Washington. Moisture will remain into Tuesday morning, bringing rain and snow to many areas. Rain will be favored in mild areas of Eastern Washington. Snow should conclude sometime Tuesday afternoon or evening. Another round of snow and rain moves through the region Wednesday.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-20_rnw_18z-1679359443910.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>Total snowfall will bring 6-10" of snow in the Rockies. Rainfall amounts will max out around 1-1.5" through Washington and Oregon.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-20_rnw_18z snow-1679359459063.JPG">A closer look at the ski forecast across the Northern Rockies shows places like Grand Targhee and Pebble Creek getting another foot of snow through Wednesday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/new-1679359475909.JPG">In the days that follow, expect more mild temps in places like Seattle, Portland, and Medford, even Boise could see 50s by midweek. But for the Rockies and Northern High Plains, chilly temps will be more persistent in Casper and Billings.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2023/03/03-20_rnw_tue to thu-1679336169097.JPG"></p><p>For more on this weather headline be sure to join us at :50 minutes past the hour for your western regional forecast.</p>

Northern Rockies and Tetons Snow

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<p style="margin: 0in; margin-bottom: .0001pt;"><span style="font-size: 13.5pt; color: #454545;">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></span></p>

Rob Bradley

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Fire weather conditions are expected to reach critical levels in parts of the Southwest into Friday. This means the rapid spread and growth of fires is expected if one is ignited. The greatest risk for rapid fire growth today (Wednesday) is expected in far Western Texas and Southern New Mexico, where winds are forecast to reach 15-25 mph from the west/west-northwest in combination with relative humidity values between 5-20 percent.

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Critical Fire Weather conditions exist when <a href="https://www.spc.noaa.gov/misc/Critical_Criteria_for_web.pdf">several criteria are met for at least 3 hours:</a> winds are sustained at 20 mph or greater, relative humidity is below the regional criteria for dry conditions, temperatures are above 50 or 60 degrees (depending on season), and fuels are dry.

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The risk for critical fire conditions covers much of Southern New Mexico on Thursday, including parts of Western Texas and Southeastern Arizona. West-northwest winds are expected to reach 15-30 mph in the afternoon in the highlighted area as relative humidity values drop between 8-20 percent.

The National Weather Service in Albuquerque has highlighted the increased threat for fires south of the I-40 corridor and is asking people to avoid outdoor burning.

https://twitter.com/NWSAlbuquerque/status/1252937697724977152

Thankfully, many of the areas highlighted under the critical fire risk are not experiencing serious drought conditions, though some small areas are <a href="https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/">abnormally dry or are experiencing a moderate drought</a>.

Follow all local burn ordinances and take extra precautions to prevent the ignition of a fire if you live in or will be traveling through these areas.