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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<p>Heading towards the Halloween weekend, the southwest is expecting another push of moisture as a strengthening low moves into the region.</p><p>The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has already issued an outlook for Friday. Cities like Flagstaff, AZ and Phoenix, AZ are under a <strong>Slight</strong> risk for flooding.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 114546-1793036785332.png">Heavy rainfall and even areas of heavy snow will be possible into the early part of the following week. The 8-14 day Hazards Outlook has portions of Southern California and the Four Corners highlighted for heavy rain, while the mountains of Colorado are highlighted for heavy snow.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 114542-1793036790149.png">This could mean a soggy and cold Halloween for Trick or Treaters on Saturday. We are still several days away, but some of the longer-range forecast models are bringing in widespread precipitation for Halloween.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/1026-1793036950479.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>More on your Western Regional Forecast can always be found :50 past the hour on WeatherNation.</p>

Jackie Brown

Southwest Gets More Active By Halloween Weekend

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Kevin Schneider

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<p>Hopefully the costume's picked out by now, the candy receptacle is made or purchased, and physical conditioning is in peak form! It's the week of Halloween which has all of the spooky lovers in a good mood. The only thing that might get in the way is Mother Nature. </p><h1>TREATS</h1><p>We'll start with the easy ones since forecasting multiple days in advance can be a little frightening to meteorologists. But signals can be a little clearer about who has it going well, weather-wise. Focusing on Fri-Sun, it's hard to complain about Denver's setup. A building ridge should keep things eerily quiet on the weather front this weekend. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 081108-1793023905794.png">Roughly, a line from the Front Range into the High Plains should be good to go if the timing/placement of this ridge is nailed down. That means we just have to prepare for the festivities, with some help from the Red Cross</p><h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 080023-1793024061010.png">TRICKS</h1><p>This is where things get...tricky. Right now, the two different areas that are of some concern are the Southern Plains and the West. Another strong trough will pour onshore late in the week, keeping things out west pretty active. Ahead of that trough, plenty of moisture will get pulled north out of the Gulf, which could help fuel stronger storms, depending on how things come together. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 082100-1793024562701.png">Along and downstream of that feature rippling through the Midwest and eventually the Mid-Atlantic might want to watch the timing on things, just to be sure an umbrella doesn't need to become a part of the costume too. It's too soon to know if it'll be a washout that affects plans all day or splash-n-dash storms that pick on a particular timeframe. </p><h1>FALL BACK</h1><p>Also remember to set the clocks back an hour going into Sunday. Otherwise you'll be waking up an hour early when you could have been sleeping off the candy coma instead. Might be a good weekend to replace the batteries in the smoke detectors and weather radios, too! </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 080329-1793024897195.png">Or maybe take the day to ease into a new way of life, with sunsets closer to 5:00. Although latitude has something to do with it, location within your timezone has a lot to say too. </p><p></p>

HALLOWEEN 2026: Is the weather a Trick or a Treat?

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WeatherNation Meteorologists

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<p>After becoming a hurricane Friday, <strong>Vance</strong> has weakened to a tropical storm, but it continues to trudge parallel to the Mexican coastline, where the impacts are expected to be greatest. Its slow movement will mean long-lasting coastal wave action and erosion potential. The good news is, it should weaken as it enters an unfavorable environment early this week. A landfall in Mexico late this week is possible.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 114321-1793036606299.png">Tropical Storm <strong>Olana</strong> formed in the Central Pacific Ocean. This storm is west of the Hawaiian Islands. Right now, it's not expected to impact Hawaii directly, but the moisture could increase rain throughout the islands. The storm has already downgraded to a Tropical Depression.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/FJFJFJFJFSSSS-1793060642598.png"></p><p>Hawaii can see multiple inches of rain from the moisture from Olana through Saturday. Here's the latest forecast from our Euro model.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 190523-1793063136735.png"></p><p></p><h1><strong><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">El Niño Fueling Pacific Activity</span></strong></h1><p>The Eastern Pacific has set a new record for the most energetic season since record-keeping began. The ACE has surpassed 318, which was the previous record set in 2018.</p><p><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">The surge in tropical activity comes as El Nino continues to strengthen across the equatorial Pacific. El Nino is characterized by warmer-than-average ocean temperatures across portions of the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. Those unusually warm waters can influence weather patterns around the globe while also creating an environment that can favor tropical cyclone activity in the Pacific.</span></p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot 2026-09-28 194202-1790646127358.png"><span style="color: rgb(0, 0, 0)">This year’s El Nino has already strengthened considerably, and forecasts indicate it could become exceptionally strong later this year.</span></p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/09/Screenshot 2026-09-12 063433-1789216512410.png"></p>

Tropical Storm Vance Swirling in the Pacific, Olana Forms West of Hawaii

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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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<p>This week, the ocean is coming to low lying areas near you! King tides are back for the next several months, which will lead to sunny day ocean water flooding for vulnerable areas at times. <br><br>The exact highest tide will vary for different locations, but through the end of the next several months, when the moon is nearly full, high and low tides will be elevated. In 2026 into 2027, this will occur during the end of the month, through January.</p><h1>What Causes King Tides?</h1><p>The Earth's orbit around the sun is offset a bit, meaning the distance to the sun varies throughout the year. The Earth's closest point to the sun occurs in early January, meaning the gravitational effects of the sun on the oceans increase through early January. When the moon is full and closer to the earth (perigee), this adds another pull of gravity, increases the tides further. This will occur toward the end of October, November, December, and January, increasing the range of tides.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-24 053902-1792843085873.png"></p><p>In October, the full moon occurs on the 26th while the moon's closest point to Earth happens just a few days later. This will help create some of the highest tides of the year for many areas along the U.S. East Coast. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-24 054717-1792843101424.png"></p><h1>East Coast</h1><h2>Florida</h2><p>Coastal flood alerts are in effect for the Atlantic Coast of Florida, all the way up into Virginia. High tide flooding could leave vulnerable areas under a foot or two of water at times, leading to various impacts, including closed roads.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 061055-1793009466463.png"></p><p>Florida's highest tide cycles of the fall season will occur in October and November, with the highest tides of October's cycle happening Tuesday morning. Low lying areas will have several rounds of flooding this week, so its best to avoid low lying areas during high tide times.</p><h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-24 055519-1792844159359.png">Carolinas</h2><p>Charleston already experienced flooding on Friday from high tides, but the highest tides are yet to come. Major flood stage is expected to be hit several days in a row, primarily during the morning high tide cycle. Expect numerous road closures during these times.</p><h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 061124-1793009496320.png"></h2><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 061146-1793009517265.png"></p><h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-24 055652-1792844169803.png">Mid-Atlantic &amp; Northeast</h2><p>Minor coastal flooding is expected in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast during the October cycle of king tides. Low lying areas could see flooding inundate areas with about a foot of water. In New England, the highest tides should occur during the November and December cycles.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-24 061926-1792844685757.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-24 061930-1792844699823.png"></p><h1>West Coast</h1><h2>California</h2><p>California is already experiencing elevated tides due to <span style="color: black">El Niño and a surge of warm water up the coast, </span><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/incoming-kelvin-wave-to-southern-california-one-piece-of-the-el-nino-puzzle"><strong><u><span style="color: black">known as a Marine Kelvin Wave</span></u></strong></a><span style="color: black">. Several large wave events this fall have damaged numerous homes along the coast as well. As a result, King Tide impacts in California could be more significant this season compared to past years. Alerts have been issued from San Diego up past the Bay Area.</span></p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 061211-1793009542432.png"></p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-24 063244-1792845194824.png"></p><p>The highest tides of the October cycle will occur on Tuesday and Wednesday this week, though the highest tides of the year are expected in December.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 061233-1793009563305.png"></p><h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-24 061945-1792844713149.png">Oregon &amp; Washington</h2><p>The hightest tides of the year for Washington and Oregon are expected later this year as well, during the December high tide cycle. A full "supermoon" will aid in making these tides quite impactful.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-24 063406-1792845257233.png"></p><p></p>

Sunny Day Flooding; King Tides Surge This Week

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<p>The cooler weather is finding places to go finally! It's that time of year to look ahead to any chance of flakes we get! This one might get more hopes up of turning Mount Rushmore into Mount Slushmore.</p><p>A cold front has dropped temperatures from record territory into an area where we could get back to freezing. We won't stay below freezing all day, which starts to complicate matters. Moisture has been streaming in behind this front, pouring out of the Four Corners region. As the core of this upper-level low moves in and drops temperatures that much more, we could change some rain over to snow.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-25 185415-1792976060412.png"></p><p>However, there are a few issues with what some models are projecting (2+" of snow).</p><ol><li><p>Temperatures won't get all the way or well below freezing</p></li><li><p>Snowing during daylight hours is tough to accumulate. Even though the sun won't be "shining" it adds energy to the atmosphere making it harder for snow to stick while it's up.</p></li><li><p>Rain and snow falling together makes it harder for the snow to stick. Falling raindrops will either melt the snow itself, or leave puddling behind which melts falling snowflakes.</p></li></ol><p>Just because temperatures are in the vicinity of freezing, not all snowy setups are created equal. If this were a month or two later with a lower sun angle and slightly cooler temperatures, we could be cooking with gas! But alas, rain will mix with snow throughout the day, trying to accumulate on grassy, elevated surfaces. We might get lucky and pick up an inch in a spot or two, but it's going to be an uphill battle. Roads by Monday night could see a few slick spots.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-26 123650-1793039815143.png"></p>

Mount Slushmore? Taking a look at Dakota Snow Chances

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<p>A powerful low pressure system has been moving through the Southwest since Wednesday, producing numerous flash flood events and severe weather. A tornado hit a few homes in Heber-Overgaard (Arizona) on Wednesday, causing significant damage, while hailstones larger than golf balls have been falling at times. The heavy rainfall rates have led to several significant flash flood events, like the one below, including several calls for swift water rescues.</p><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2113405036651008510" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2113405036651008510"></div><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-24 083001-1792852233932.png">Unfortunately, the San Juan River has caused damage in multiple areas, from Pagosa Springs down through northern New Mexico. The River hit record flood stage in Farmington and Ship Rock. The river is expected to get back below action stage by Monday.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-25 060440-1792922695600.png"></p><h2>SEVERE THREAT</h2><p>Severe storm outlooks have been issued throughout the weekend across portions of New Mexico, Texas, and Colorado. The primary threats will be hail damage, strong winds, and an isolated tornado or two. Threats will linger through the overnight hours into Monday before dissipating. </p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-25 185907-1792976350739.png"></p><h2>RAINFALL &amp; FLOOD POTENTIAL</h2><p>The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) is highlighting areas from New Mexico out into the Southern Plains that could see additional flash flooding. The corridor of heaviest rain looks to aim at southeast Colorado and the Panhandle of Texas.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-25 185942-1792976386515.png">A few flood watches will remain in place through Monday morning.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-25 190044-1792976460995.png">As always, if you encounter water over a road, especially at night, turn around and find another way around!</p>

Major River Flooding Causes Damage; Another Day of Storms in New Mexico

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<h3>WHAT TO EXPECT</h3><p>A ridge of high pressure lingers, keeping temperatures above average across the central U.S. Temperatures across the south will run 5°-10° above average, but in the northern Plains and Midwest, 10°- 20° above average! This will make for some warm weather for any fall activities you have planned.</p><h3>NORTHERN PLAINS AND MIDWEST:</h3><p>It was another warm October afternoon on Saturday across the High Plains. A sharp cold front is dropping through the area this weekend, however. Check out the highs in the forecast through Monday. Minneapolis will only reach 49° Monday afternoon.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-25 061228-1792923161399.png"></p><p>The Central and Southern Plains won't feel as significant of impacts from this front. Temperatures will linger above average, in the 70s and 80s, through the weekend. However, there's some signal that temperatures will cool off late this week 👀</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-25 061314-1792923207632.png"></p><p>This year has been a good reminder to enjoy the cool air when it does make an appearance. As we look ahead to the last few days of October, there is high confidence that much of the country will remain above average. That looks to include and Trick or Treaters if the pattern holds up!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/10/Screenshot 2026-10-25 061339-1792923233181.png"></p>

Adrian Hernandez

Warmer Than Average: Above-Normal Temperatures Across the Central U.S. This Week

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[<em>Countless lakes across the Southwest United States went dry in 2012, including this one, Teller Lake No.5, in eastern Boulder County, Colorado. Credit: UCAR, photo by Carlye Calvin.</em>]

[<a href="https://cpo.noaa.gov/News/News-Article/ArtMID/6226/ArticleID/1685/Lack-of-Moisture-Connected-to-Drought-Propagation-in-North-America" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NOAA</a>] Droughts have disastrous impacts on the agricultural, economic, and public health sectors. With the formation of droughts still being researched, scientists ability to forecast droughts for North America has been greatly affected. <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2019GL082475" target="_blank" rel="noopener">In a new research paper</a>, Julio E. Herrera‐Estrada and co-authors used reanalysis data from 1980-2016 in combination with a moisture-tracking model to identify the effects that reduced moisture transport has in drought formation and dissemination in North America.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-88125" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/02/midwestfarmlanddrought_noaa.png" alt="" width="650" height="375" />

They found that a decrease in moisture transport upwind resulted in more droughts across the United States. Also, they found that due to a lack of moisture exports, agricultural droughts upwind caused significant droughts downwind. In particular, the decreased moisture transport from land areas accounted for 62% of the precipitation deficiency in the high-profile Midwest drought of 2012.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-109129" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2019/06/600600p6226EDNmainimg-2019-05-06.jpg" alt="" width="512" height="330" />

Furthermore, a decline in recycled moisture within a region corresponded to a decrease of transported moisture to that region. These results suggest that land‐surface may contain useful information for drought prediction, and highlight the importance of sustainable land‐use and of regional cooperation for drought risk management.

Edited for WeatherNation by <a href="http://bit.ly/2HhiTgF" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meteorologist Mace Michaels</a>

Lack of Moisture Connected to Drought Propagation

Southwest Gets More Active By Halloween Weekend

Heading towards the Halloween weekend, the so

HALLOWEEN 2026: Is the weather a Trick or a Treat?

Hopefully the costume's picked out by now, th

Tropical Storm Vance Swirling in the Pacific, Olana Forms West of Hawaii

After becoming a hurricane Friday, Vance has

Sunny Day Flooding; King Tides Surge This Week

This week, the ocean is coming to low lying a

Mount Slushmore? Taking a look at Dakota Snow Chances

The cooler weather is finding places to go fi

Major River Flooding Causes Damage; Another Day of Storms in New Mexico

A powerful low pressure system has been movin

Warmer Than Average: Above-Normal Temperatures Across the Central U.S. This Week

WHAT TO EXPECTA ridge of high pressure linger