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>.

Patrick Crawford

End of Year Travel Expected to Break Records

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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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NORTHWEST - A state of emergency was declared for Washington State on Wednesday, December 10th, following days of heavy rain that led to historic river flooding. The relentless rain continued into this week.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2001283739846906166" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2001283739846906166"></div><h1>Additional Rain/Severe Weather</h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/PIC 3-1766108386420.jpg">Wind alerts remain widespread through Friday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/PIC 2-1766092559563.jpg">As snow levels drop, winter weather will complete the trifecta of weather hazards with this system. Some winter alerts go through Saturday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 183747-1766021874252.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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Kevin Schneider

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As the Northwest eagerly awaits drier times, it will come at another's expense. California will be the next in line to experience heavy rain and snow, looking ahead. The pattern doesn't change; it merely shifts.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-18 170434-1766102680914.png">Areas up and down the Sierra Nevada Mountains are in desperate need of snow, though. 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 2025-12-18 171053-1766103061399.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/2025/12/12-17 rsw-1766022009083.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 2025-12-17 183921-1766022016353.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 183926-1766022020934.png">This is a ways away, however, so be sure to check back with the forecast as we grow closer to the weekend.

Heavy Rain an Snow Moves Into California Next Week

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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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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 are continuing to dominate much of the western United States as an area of high pressure is keeping the jet stream north, which is helping to lock in the warm air! We saw yet another day of record highs across the West! The record warmth will continue through this week.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 184050-1766022060618.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 184054-1766022066477.png">The warm temperatures are sticking around, bringing a spring-like feel to cities across the southwest. Denver and Albuquerque normally see highs in the 40s, but will be digging into the 60s! Los Angeles has an average high of 66 ° and will see high temperatures in the upper 70s and low 80s.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 184119-1766022084093.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 20th - 24th, a large portion of the country has a high confidence level that temperatures will be well above average. A lot of folks will be seeing an above-average Christmas Eve and Christmas.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 184134-1766022099311.png">Make sure to tune into WeatherNation :50 past the hour, every hour for your Western regional forecast.

Record Warmth Out West Continues

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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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Does it feel like deja vu? This persistent pattern, locked in for most of December, has some side effects. No snow for the west! While areas around the Midwest are experiencing their snowiest start to the Winter in years, areas out west are looking at their slowest start to the water year.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 090611-1765987589484.png">Take, for instance, the Pacific Northwest. They've been seeing the worst of both patterns: warm systems that bring inundating rainfall to the area, without the benefits of slow-melting snowfall, keeping watersheds fed with a much-needed, consistent water source.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 140808-1766005705355.png">Other areas like Colorado have seen a fairly soggy past month, but got off to one of the latest starts to winter on record in Denver. Similarly, like the northwest was struggling, any shot at moisture fell at once, as rain.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 141243-1766005981387.png">All of this information comes from the National Integrated Drought Information System, an offshoot of NOAA<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://nwcc-apps.sc.egov.usda.gov/imap/#version=2&amp;elements=&amp;networks=!&amp;states=!&amp;basins=!&amp;hucs=&amp;minElevation=&amp;maxElevation=&amp;elementSelectType=any&amp;activeOnly=true&amp;activeForecastPointsOnly=true&amp;hucLabels=false&amp;hucIdLabels=false&amp;hucParameterLabels=true&amp;stationLabels=&amp;overlays=&amp;hucOverlays=state&amp;basinOpacity=100&amp;basinNoDataOpacity=100&amp;basemapOpacity=100&amp;maskOpacity=0&amp;mode=data&amp;openSections=dataElement,parameter,date,basin,options,elements,location,networks,baseMaps,overlays,labels&amp;controlsOpen=true&amp;popup=&amp;popupMulti=&amp;popupBasin=&amp;base=esriWgc&amp;displayType=basin&amp;basinType=6&amp;dataElement=WTEQ&amp;depth=-8&amp;parameter=PCTMED&amp;frequency=DAILY&amp;duration=I&amp;customDuration=&amp;dayPart=E&amp;monthPart=E&amp;forecastPubDay=1&amp;forecastExceedance=50&amp;useMixedPast=true&amp;seqColor=2&amp;divColor=7&amp;scaleType=D&amp;scaleMin=&amp;scaleMax=&amp;referencePeriodType=POR&amp;referenceBegin=1991&amp;referenceEnd=2020&amp;minimumYears=20&amp;hucAssociations=true&amp;relativeDate=-4&amp;lat=41.191&amp;lon=-108.971&amp;zoom=5.5">Interactive Map at this link here</a><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/12/Screenshot 2025-12-17 085846-1765987778263.png">So what would help? A breakdown of the pattern would be a great place to start, with some signs that we might get some help. As the jet stream dips into the holiday week, confidence is growing in heavy rain targeting California

Alana Cameron

West Facing Record Low Snow Levels

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[<a href="https://blog.nssl.noaa.gov/nsslnews/2018/10/video-advanced-technology-demonstrator/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">NOAA</a>] Radar research at the NOAA National Severe Storms Laboratory has taken another step forward. The Advanced Technology Demonstrator is installed at the National Weather Radar Testbed facility and will become fully operational in 2019.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xso-P0UAE88

The Advanced Technology Demonstrator, or ATD, is the first full-scale, S-band, dual-polarization phased array radar built from the ground up and designed specifically for use as a weather radar.

A <a href="https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/tools/radar/mpar/">phased array radar</a> is able to steer the radar beam electronically left-to-right and up-and-down while the antenna remains stationary. The ATD has a flat, or planar, antenna comprised of 76 panels with 4,864 radiating elements.

<img class="alignnone wp-image-98737 size-full" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/10/mpar-sk2.png" alt="New Advanced Technology Radar Installed at National Severe Storms Laboratory" width="600" height="334" />

[Phased Array radar has a unique antenna that collects the same information as a conventional radar in about one-sixth the time. Users can direct radar beams to scan different targets as needed. Researchers believe phased array could extend warning lead times from 10 minutes to 18-22 minutes.]

In addition, the ATD features <a href="https://www.nssl.noaa.gov/tools/radar/dualpol/">dual polarization technology</a> developed at NSSL and recently added to WSR-88D radars, also known as NEXRAD, throughout the country. The ATD is adding dual polarization technology to phased array technology, combining the benefits of both. The new radar will feature dual-polarization’s ability to show the size and shape of precipitation, and the phased array’s faster updates.

<img class="alignnone size-full wp-image-98736" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/10/dualpol5_both.gif" alt="" width="350" height="200" />

[Difference between conventional and polarmetric radar]

The radar will be used for meteorological studies and to help researchers evaluate polarimetric performance of a planar phased array radar.

Edited for <a href="https://media.weathernationtv.com/">WeatherNation</a> by Meteorologist Mace Michaels