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.

Jesse Kelley

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<p>Unfortunately, we've had back-to-back weeks of severe weather with our latest impacts from an EF-3 tornado in Westmoreland, Kansas earlier this week. Our thoughts go out to those impacted. EF is short for Enhanced Fujita and can help estimate the maximum winds within a tornado, based on the extent of storm damage. Now, the storm threat continues across much of the same area throughout the day on Friday.</p><p>Our field correspondent, Brandon Clement, took this video of some of the damage in Westmoreland early Wednesday morning. There were multiple homes impacted with the roof and second-floor stories torn off. There were tractor-trailers tossed around like toys. Trees were snapped in half. According to local media, at least 20 buildings sustained irreparable damage.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/VO_050124_RNC_WESTMORELAND, KS_DRONE VIEW OF TORNADO DAMAGE_WHATSAPP_BRANDON CLEMENT_KW_E050124-1714570595498.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>On Friday, a new low develops off the Rockies to bring another chance of severe weather for the Plains! The biggest threat will be gusty winds and hail, however a few isolated tornadoes will be possible.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/spc north today-1714768748404.jpg">Just like the last few systems, it will be another late evening and nighttime event as thunderstorms roll across the area. Storms will be more in a line rather than individual which lends itself to damaging winds and heavy rain rather than tornadoes. Heavy rain is possible again over these very saturated soils of the Plains. The energy shifts into the Midwest on Saturday with more low-end severe weather potential.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/Baron 2-1714774867585.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>Saturday's storms start early, leftover from the previous evening, and continue throughout the day. Be prepared for an indoor alternative to any of your plans if you live between Illinois and Ohio.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/sat-1714736771105.jpg"></p>

Storm Threat Continues in the Great Plains

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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>The severe weather risk continues for west Texas and much of the central Plains after a few tornadoes were confirmed in open country Thursday afternoon. This includes a tornado over Hawley, TX (north of Abilene) that was nearly stationary in the area for several hours. We will update you on tornado strength when the National Weather Service can survey the damage.</p><div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/WeatherNation/videos/343514008353454" data-width="500" src="https://www.facebook.com/WeatherNation/videos/343514008353454" style="display: flex; justify-content: center"></div><p></p><p>The severe weather risk both Friday and Saturday in Texas favors the Western half of the state where the clash of airmasses (dry and moist) occurs. This will produce a few isolated supercell storms whose primary threats are large hail and tornadoes from Lubbock south to I-20 and I-10. However, storms will be possible throughout central and west Texas into the weekend.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/enhanced today-1714756099540.jpg">Hailstones 2" or larger are possible - try to park your car under cover to protect it from the storms! This is also where we have a heightened tornado risk as the same storm updrafts that aid in building large hail also can rotate and produce tornadoes.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/sigs-1714759462922.jpg">Storm development is occurring off the higher terrain of West Texas and northern Mexico with help from the dryline and frontal boundary across New Mexico. These supercells will cluster into a heavy rain and damaging hail threat in West Texas and the Panhandle Friday tonight. By Saturday afternoon a similar trend occurs with storm development aided by a stationary front. Heavy rain does not help the ongoing flood situation in the Lone Star State.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/2024-05-03 14-40-55-1714768888193.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>The severe weather threat continues into Sunday with another low-end severe weather threat through central Texas, southern Arkansas and Oklahoma.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/spc sunday-1714758347400.jpg"></p>

Tornado Hits West Texas, More Storms this Weekend

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<p>Texas has been hit with extremely heavy rainfall this week with the Trinity River area (85 miles north of Houston) getting nearly a foot of rain in just 24 hours on Thursday. The past 5 days has brought nearly 2 FEET of rainfall in spots! Many roadways remain closed as rivers and streams are out of their banks. Aerial footage shows widespread flooding in Livingston, TX, and mandatory evacuations were ordered Thursday night for those on the east fork of the San Jacinto River northeast of Houston.</p><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1786100846977245395" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1786100846977245395"></div><p>River flooding will be a concern near the Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers the next several days as upstream dams release water southward. Many rivers are at "major" flood stage, inundating surrounding neighborhoods. The ground in Texas has become saturated in the last week and additional rainfall will be a huge concern for more flooding and overwhelmed waterways.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/1-1714774315813.png"></p><p>Unfortunately, there is a bullseye for excessive rainfall over these same areas into southern Louisiana on Friday. There are widespread flood alerts to account for both river/creek flooding and freshwater flooding from rainfall.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/bullseye-1714757697654.jpg">Storm clusters continue in South Texas and Louisiana for the rest of the day. Additional storm development in West Texas on both Friday and Saturday nights could move into coastal Southeast Texas with heavy rainfall and more flooding each morning, especially Saturday morning. Additional rainfall amounts will be in the range of 2-3" with locally higher totals.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/Baron 2-1714774461180.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>

Texas: 2 FEET of Rain in 5 Days

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<p><em>Above - Moore, Oklahoma tornado damage in May 1999 (Photo: NWS Norman)</em></p><p>May 3rd marks the anniversary of a deadly F5 tornado that struck Bridge Creek, Moore, and Oklahoma City, OK in 1999. This year is the 25th anniversary of the historic storm that was on the ground for 38 miles, carving a path of destruction from Chickasha through the southern suburbs of Oklahoma City. Sadly, this one storm left 46 people dead and 800 injured. Over 8,000 homes were destroyed as a result of the EF-5 tornado. The tornado messaging was a first of its kind too, when NWS Norman issued a "tornado emergency" to grab the Public's attention beyond a typical "tornado warning" </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/track-1714753651978.jpg">The tornado cut a path through communities 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile wide. It wiped out entire communities in the Oklahoma City metro. Though the Bridge Creek-Moore tornado was the strongest storm as an F5 there were an additional two F4 tornadoes in central Oklahoma. Six more tornadoes were F3! According to the National Weather Service in Norman, OK, "The final total of 72 tornadoes makes May 3-4, 1999 event the largest outbreak of tornadoes for Oklahoma since official records began in 1950." </p><p style="text-align: center"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/norman-1714753745770.jpg"></p><p style="text-align: center"><em>Above - Moore, Oklahoma tornado damage in May 1999 (Photo: NWS Norman)</em></p><p>This tornado was one of 74 that touched down on May 3, 1999, in Oklahoma and Kansas. <span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">Five deaths, 100 injuries and heavy damage were reported from the Wichita, Kansas metro area. For Oklahoma, the majority of deaths from the tornado outbreak occurred as a result of the Bridge-Creek Moore F5, a total of 36 with over 580 injured by the storm. </span></p><p>In modern U.S. history, there have only been 59 F5 or EF5 tornadoes, most recently in Moore, OK in 2013. The Fujita (F) scale transitioned to the "Enhanced Fujita" scale (EF) in 2007. According to the<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weather.gov/tae/ef_scale#:~:text=The%20EF%20Scale%20takes%20into,type%2C%20structures%2C%20and%20trees."><strong><em><u> National Weather Service</u></em></strong></a>, "The EF Scale takes into account more variables than the original F Scale did when assigning a wind speed rating to a tornado. The EF Scale incorporates 28 damage indicators (DIs) such as building type, structures, and trees." There are 8 degrees of damage for each indicator to help survey crews determine storm extent and strength. </p>

Remembering Moore: 25th Anniversary of F5 Tornado

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Summer of 1993, New England Dragway. That's when and where Steve knew he wanted to become a meteorologist. More than 20 years later he is extremely fortunate and blessed to be able to live his childhood dream. As a lover of math and science, Steve had a consistent interest in weather in elementary, middle, and high school before discovering you can major in meteorology. He attended Lyndon State College in Vermont where he received a bachelor's in meteorology-broadcasting and associate's in television news. He has worked as a meteorologist and reporter in Winchester, VA, Burlington, VT, and most recently in West Palm Beach, FL. He's recognized by the American Meteorological Society with the Certification of Broadcast Meteorologists.

Steven Glazier

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<p>This weekend an incoming storm system will bring widespread wet weather to the West Coast, including high-elevation mountain snow! A low-pressure system is moving out of the Pacific Ocean and onto the West Coast today. This incoming storm system pulls in moisture from the Pacific in addition to lift and cold air to produce rain and mountain snow across the West.</p><p>The associated cold front moves onshore Friday afternoon with heavy coastal and low-elevation rain. Overnight as cold air swings in behind the front, rain turns to high-elevation mountain snow. As temperatures fall throughout the day Saturday rain turns to snow, especially in the Sierra Nevada and Cascades. Steady snow continues into Sunday for the highest elevations, with rain for lower elevations.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/FORECAST-1714705809876.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>There are some locations which may receive 8-16 inches of snow across the highest mountain peaks! Snow levels will fall to 3,000-4,000 feet most commonly, but may fall as low as 2,500' elevation.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot 2024-05-03 060945-1714738312680.png">If it feels like snow is falling late into the season, you may be surprised to know that the season's last snow for many West Coast communities lingers into May and for the highest elevations, even into June!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/est avg snowfall-1714510694011.jpg">Meanwhile, the lower elevations may accumulate up to two or three inches of rainfall! This will include cities such as Seattle, Portland, and Eureka. Isolated flooding will be possible with these types of rainfall amounts.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot 2024-05-03 060930-1714738403613.png">As this weather system moves across the West, it will whip up a lot of wind! The wind gusts may reach up to 55-65 miles per hour across many states, and especially higher elevations. Secure your property before the wind hits! It will be strongest on Saturday.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot 2024-05-03 060938-1714738462547.png">Stay with WeatherNation for the latest on the forecast for the upcoming weekend.</p>

First Weekend in May Brings Snow to West Coast

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<p>Similar areas that have been at risk since the end of April will experience another bout of severe weather from Monday through Wednesday. The Storm Prediction Center [SPC] has issued the severe weather outlooks for Monday through Wednesday, indicating confidence in the environment to produce severe storms. All severe weather threats are possible during this stretch: damaging wind, large hail, and a few tornadoes.</p><p>Monday, the severe weather threat stretches from the I-29 corridor through the Red River Valley, with an elevated severe weather risk through central Kansas (above). On Tuesday the severe weather threat stretches from Arkansas through the Midwest including Chicago, St. Louis and Little Rock (below).</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/spc tuesay-1714738498807.png">On Wednesday the threat shifts a bit further south, impacting southern Missouri, Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, and northeast Texas. All modes of severe weather are on the table.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/spc wednesday-1714738498809.png">This is thanks to another wave of energy from the Pacific moving east throughout the weekend, providing enough lift to support storm development. At the surface we have moisture streaming north contributing to instability ahead of a surface cold front.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/2024-05-01 10-51-01-1714583042845.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>The central and southern Plains are a bullseye for severe weather in May. The moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and cooler air from Canada clash over Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, elevating the severe threat. We know this is another day of severe weather on the horizon, but please don't let severe weather fatigue get the best of you.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/BULLESYE-1714582936940.jpg">Stay with WeatherNation for the latest information on the severe weather threat ahead in early May.</p>

Multi-Day Severe Outbreak Possible Monday - Wednesday

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<p>Numerous high-temperature records fell across the Northeast Thursday, including parts of the Interstate 95 corridor! For example, Washington D.C reached a daytime high of 91 degrees and the normal high for this time of the year is 73 degrees! Raleigh, NC reached 92 degrees with many other cities along the East Coast reaching the 80s and 90s. Some of the records tied or broken are over 125 years old.</p><h2>Northeast</h2><p>The warmth continues on Friday in the mid-Atlantic while we start to see cold air intrusion in New England. Temperatures fall through the weekend back towards or below average.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/today-1714743002037.jpg">The reason for the cool down in New England is a cold front that moves through. It won't produce a lot of wet weather, but a few isolated showers in coastal Massachusetts and Maine are possible. More showers arrive with an additional system on Saturday and will contribute to a larger cool-down for the Midwest.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/2024-05-03 07-30-20-1714743068852.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h2>Southeast</h2><p>The heat will also impact the Southeast, and while it won't necessarily be record-setting, it will be about 10-15 degrees above normal. Highs jump into the 90s in Florida Peninsula with close to 90 even up into central Alabama. The above-average warmth and humidity will help lead to daily chances of afternoon thunderstorms.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/3 days-1714743002034.jpg">By Wednesday of next week, the temperatures start to soar - highs jump into the 90s and 100s with the potential to tie or break records from Texas through Florida through Friday!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/s reocrds-1714758091469.jpg">There is confidence in the above-average temperature forecasting continuing through the next couple of weeks. We expect above-average temperatures from the Carolinas through the Gulf Coast!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/extended-1714758193432.jpg"></p>

Temps Climb on the East Coast, South

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Portions of Texas, Oklahoma and Kansas once again are facing fire concerns Thursday. Just on Monday, areas of near Fort Worth, TX were battling a wildfire that broke out.

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With the dry air in place and the winds picking up, the National Weather Service had Red Flag Warnings and Fire Weather Watches in place. Winds will be picking up out of the south Thursday sustained at 25 to 35 mph with gusts up to 50 mph. Humidity levels will also be as low as 10%. If a fire starts, it will quickly be able to spread quickly.

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For Wednesday the fire weather outlook is elevated but it increases Thursday as winds pick up.

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Much of Texas has been placed under an outdoor burn ban to prevent any wildfires.

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Areas like Lubbock, TX have gone over 70 days without an sort of measurable precipitation.

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A slot of dry air moving in is the reason for such low humidity levels across the Southern Plains.

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The dry air coupled with the increasing winds throughout Thursday once again increasing the concern for fire danger.

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For WeatherNation, Meteorologist Kate Mantych

Fire Concerns for the Southern Plains

Storm Threat Continues in the Great Plains

Unfortunately, we've had back-to-back weeks o

Tornado Hits West Texas, More Storms this Weekend

The severe weather risk continues for west Te

Texas: 2 FEET of Rain in 5 Days

Texas has been hit with extremely heavy rainf

Remembering Moore: 25th Anniversary of F5 Tornado

Above - Moore, Oklahoma tornado damage in May

First Weekend in May Brings Snow to West Coast

This weekend an incoming storm system will br

Multi-Day Severe Outbreak Possible Monday - Wednesday

Similar areas that have been at risk since th

Temps Climb on the East Coast, South

Numerous high-temperature records fell across