Brittany Lockley

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A potent spring storm system is building across the central United States, setting the stage for several days of dangerous weather from the Plains to the Midwest. Strong winds are already impacting parts of the Northern Plains and Rockies, with some areas seeing powerful gusts that could intensify even further as the system strengthens.&nbsp;As of now, wind gusts are expected to reach 55 mph.<h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 031345-1775639637850.png">WIND</h1>A lot of wind energy with this trough of low pressure, which will be the biggest impact over 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/2026/04/2026-04-08 03-20-54-1775640095866.mkv" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h1>SEVERE</h1>As this storm moves east, it is expected to trigger multiple rounds of thunderstorms. A developing low-pressure system in southern Canada is helping push a cold front into the Plains, creating an environment for storms to form and repeatedly track over the same areas. This pattern raises concerns for both severe weather and heavy rainfall.&nbsp;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 2026-04-08 031308-1775639655740.png"><h1>PRECIPITATION</h1>The biggest threat will likely focus on portions of Kansas, Missouri, and surrounding states, where repeated downpours could lead to flooding issues. Rainfall totals are expected to reach a few inches in some areas, with locally higher amounts possible where storms repeatedly pass over the same locations.&nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-08 031655-1775639830525.png">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/2026/04/2026-04-08 03-14-37-1775639789350.mkv" controls="true" width="100%"></video>These storms will bring the risk of damaging wind gusts and strong thunderstorms. With a steady supply of moisture and a slow-moving system, unsettled conditions are expected to linger through the week.&nbsp;This setup is typical for spring, when strong storm systems can bring a mix of high winds, severe storms, and flooding concerns.Stay tuned to WN for more deails.

Severe Storm Threat Builds Across Plains With Flooding Concerns

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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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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.

Tracey Anthony

Farthest Humans Ever from Earth: Artemis II

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Kevin Schneider

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Here we go again. After what looks like a largely quiet week of weather, the pattern starts to get active this weekend. As our quiet weather starts to break down, neighbors to the west will get some much-needed help with some rain and snow. However, this system will emerge out of the Rockies and take on a different life.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-06 043244-1775471702403.png">As this wave moves through the mountains, it will pull moisture north ahead of it. That will create a powder keg environment if we push storms into it. This far ahead of the event, details are still a bit fuzzy. However, it appears that there going to be ingredients in place to talk severe thunderstorms, with all modes on the table right now. The Storm Prediction Center keeps a 15% chance for severe weather on Sunday and even into Monday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-07 162115-1775600492944.png"><h1>FIRST THOUGHTS</h1>This appears to be a multi-day kind of setup, with a fairly slow-moving trough but one that's potent enough to keep storm chances alive. Right now, Saturday could shake out to an event we've seen before: afternoon storms that spill into the evening but back off in intensity. Sunday is the concerning day right now, with some more energy and dynamics to work with. As this trough works east, the low-level jet will ramp up and likely keep the severe threat going into the overnight hours.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-06 044156-1775472136202.png">Monday, the trough doesn't look like it will clear us yet, so the threat will continue, just a bit farther north and east. With this being so far down the road, there's nothing to do immediately. Check back with the forecast as we approach the weekend. We'll iron out the details throughout the week.

Severe Threat Looms This Weekend

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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"><h2>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/2026/04/04072-1775600910065.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 2026-04-07 162840-1775600924658.png">More on your Western Regional Forecast can be found :50 past the hour on WeatherNation.

Jackie Brown

West Pattern: Moisture Returns

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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 through Thursday.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/04-07_rse-1775605322627.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Rainfall totals may exceed 3-5 additional 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 2 out of 4, SLIGHT risk, for flash flooding for the next several days.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/04/Screenshot 2026-04-07 163136-1775601101176.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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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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We interviewed just one of the many organizations helping aid Florence recovery on Wednesday. We spoke to Holly Baker with the American Red Cross to get an update on how operations are going, and also how you can help people impacted by the storm.

[playlist type="video" ids="97317,97318,97319"]

We have compiled three short videos (above) with the primary information from the American Red Cross. Feel free to play through the videos. We have also compiled a list of key messages below:

<img class="alignnone wp-image-97321 size-full" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/09/9pm-2.jpg" alt="Florence Flooding: A Way You Can Help" width="1826" height="931" />
<ul>
 	<li>The American Red Cross mobilized nearly 3,000 volunteers across the East</li>
 	<li>Hundreds more volunteers are waiting to be deployed in case of need</li>
 	<li>Many shelters remain open to help people affected by the storm</li>
 	<li>Visit www.redcross.org to make a secure monetary donation</li>
 	<li>You can text FLORENCE to 90999 to donate $10 to the American Red Cross</li>
 	<li>Holly Baker of the American Red Cross says just $10 goes a long way with regard to aid</li>
</ul>
For WeatherNation, Meteorologist <a href="https://media.weathernationtv.com/team/steven-glazier/">Steve Glazier</a>