WeatherNation Meteorologists

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<p>Last week, several rounds of storms moved through areas of the Midwest, producing significant wind gusts and flash flooding. Another cold front will arrive shortly after the previous front leaves, sparking a new wave of severe storms, including potential for flash flooding.</p><h1>Forecast</h1><p>Wind shear will increase across the Plains and Midwest as a strong trough moves across Canada, while a cold front will cut into the United States. Along the front, isolated to scattered severe storms have been moving through, prompting severe thunderstorm and tornado warnings. Instability will be somewhat limited, so severe storms are more likely in the afternoons when daytime heating can add energy to the atmosphere.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/fjajfjffjfjfjf-1787072653499.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p></p><p></p><h1>Outlooks</h1><p>The SPC has maintained a <strong>SLIGHT</strong> (level 2 out of 5) risk for severe weather across the Plains and Midwest. As the front swings farther south and east today, another round of scattered severe storms is anticipated from Nebraska through western Illinois.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 124644-1787078818826.png">The same frontal system will continue to stall out into more of the Mid-South as we head into Wednesday. A slight risk close to the low has been issued into Arkansas and Missouri.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 124628-1787078824882.png"></p><p>By Tuesday, heavy rain will become a bigger hazard, with scattered flash flooding possible for areas in dark green (below). Soils are saturated from last week's rain in many of these areas, meaning runoff or flooding will occur more quickly than normal. Totals can get up to 3" in some isolated spots.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/2026-08-18 03-43-06-1787046202452.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 034157-1787046130096.png"></p>

Alana Cameron

Cold Front Brings Severe Storms to the Plains

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<p>A ridge of high pressure continues to dominate the southern tier of the US, sending storms riding around the ridge through the Midwest and Northeast. Under the high-pressure block, extreme heat and humidity will persist, lasting into this week for some. The long-lasting heat dome has triggered heat alerts from Missouri through Florida, with extreme heat warnings in effect (pink boxes, below) along with many heat advisories. Highs will soar into the triple digits, feeling 5-15 degrees hotter with the humidity. Make sure to find adequate ways to stay cool!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 110012-1787072418291.png"></p><p>Feels-like temperatures remain dangerously hot across the central and southern United States. Many areas will feel like 110-115 in the afternoon. Today, the feel-like temperatures will continue to be in the triple digits as well.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 035142-1787046711434.png">On Wednesday, intense heat continues to bake the South and Southeast.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 110103-1787072472421.png"></p><p>Some places could be so hot that we're threatening records around the South as well. Especially in the Sunshine State</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 110130-1787072511083.png"></p>

Stifling Heat Holds Steady for Southern U.S.

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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!

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<p>As we get through the work week, high pressure returns westward to the Desert Southwest. <strong>Extreme heat alerts</strong> have been issued for cities including Phoenix, Vegas, Tucson, and Yuma. Heat advisories (in orange) have been issued across the Valley of California.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 124814-1787078952269.png">We started the week with plenty of triple digits across the Southwest, and the heat will continue this week. Temperatures will run a tad above average for folks across an already hot Southwest.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 124820-1787078946141.png">If you thought the hot temperatures would be a short-term thing, you would be wrong! Hot temperatures are here to stay for the end of August.</p><h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 034551-1787046364533.png">Storm Threat</h2><p>With a high pressure system sliding in, we'll manage to pick up some moisture increasing the heat index but also increasing the chance for some storms in Arizona for Wednesday afternoon. The SPC has issued a MARGINAL (level 1 out of 5) risk for severe storms.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 124806-1787079004758.png">The timing of these storms favors the afternoon hours during peak heating.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/08-18_rsw bams-1787079021279.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>For more on this be sure to join us :50 past the hour for your west regional forecast.</p>

Heat, Some Humidity, and Storms Return to the Southwest

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<p>Lala continues to move westward of Kauai, still bringing bands of heavy rainfall and gusty winds to portions of the smaller Hawaiian Islands.</p><p>The Hawaii Department of Transportation reported that parts of Highway 11 on the Big Island were shut down due to flooding. More than 130,000 customers lost power Saturday at the height of the storm. As the storm moves west-northwest, expect conditions to slowly improve as the blustery showers back off.</p><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2088807962383143316" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2088807962383143316"></div><p>Flooding continues to be a problem for Hawaii as all of this rain makes it back into the ocean. Some areas picked up more than 3 FEET of rain thanks to Lala!</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-17 101407-1786983268612.jpg"></p><p>Lala, now over open Pacific waters, has strengthened back into a hurricane. According to the NHC, Lala is expected to intensify to a category two. At this point, additional impacts to the Hawaiian islands will be limited, but surf and rip currents will be something to watch. Larger swells generated by the system could amplify these coastal concerns.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-18 035803-1787047106402.png"></p>

Adrian Hernandez

Hawaii Cleaning Up after Lala Grazed the Islands

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Kevin Schneider

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<p><strong>MIDWEST - </strong>After a week of flooding rains in the Midwest, today we enjoy a break from the relentless rainfall. However, many remain under flood watches and warnings as rivers remain swollen.</p><div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2088604118151479464" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2088604118151479464"></div><p></p><p><strong>FLOOD THREAT</strong></p><p></p><p>Additional rainfall could increase the risk of flash flooding across the Midwest, Ohio Valley, and Appalachian region. As the front works through, some localized flooding will be possible overnight. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/OVERNSSSS-1787016460932.png"></p><h2>Overnight Severe Threat</h2><p>The Storm Prediction Center and National Weather Service have issued a severe thunderstorm watch through tonight across the Southern Appalachians. The SPC has us under a slight risk (level 2 out of 5) for severe storms through the overnight hours.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-17 193201-1787016747073.png"></p><p></p><p></p>

Front That Caused Flooding Heading East

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<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="2087625672491721115" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/2087625672491721115"></div><p>Get ready for one of the most spectacular displays of the cosmos visible on earth - a total solar eclipse! Totality will only cover a small portion of the globe, however, while many others will see a partial solar eclipse.<br><br>A solar eclipse happens when the moon moves between the sun and earth, casting a shadow on the Earth's surface. There's a small "hard shadow" where the total solar eclipse occurs, where the sun is completely obscured by the moon, leaving only the outer ring, or corona, of the sun visible. The larger "soft shadow" covers a larger portion of the globe, but only a section of the sun will be obscured. Even though both are eclipses, the experience in the path of totality is completely different than in the partial zone. Totality ushers in darkness and massive changes, including temperature drops, changes in animal behavior, and more. If you have the chance to see a total solar eclipse, it is highly recommended you take advantage of the opportunity.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-07 124538-1786128790332.png"></p><h1>Path of Totality</h1><p>People in parts of Greenland, Iceland, Spain, and an incredibly small piece of Portugal, will be able to experience totality if skies are clear enough. The eclipse will begin in the arctic circle before dropping south to cruise over the North Atlantic and eventually western Europe.<br><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-07 124037-1786128740977.png"><br>Western Iceland, including Reykjavik, will get to experience totality for a about 60 seconds in the late afternoon on Wednesday, August 12th. This will occur around 5:45 - 5:50 GMT from north to south.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/2026-08-07 13-00-09-1786129629600.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><p>Some lucky folks in Spain will have nearly two minutes of totality (toward the middle of the path), while folks closer to the outside of the path will only get about 20-30 seconds of magic. The sun will be approaching the western horizon, or sunset, as totality occurs, making for a truly incredible sight. Totality begins on the northern coast around 8:26 pm local time (CEST) and will end as it moves south of Mallorca in the Mediterranean around 8:33 pm.</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/2026-08-07 13-00-28-1786129642319.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h1>Partial Solar Eclipse</h1><p>In the United States, only a partial eclipse will be visible and only for a portion of the country. A partial eclipse will be visible in the early afternoon, peaking around 2:00 pm ET, from portions of Montana to eastern North Carolina. Only a small sliver of the sun will be obscured for many, with about a fifth of the sun obscured in northern New England, mostly in Maine. All of Alaska (expect the far western Aleutians) will experience a partial solar eclipse as well. Southern Alaska will see a quarter of the sun obscured, peaking around 8:15 - 8:30 am Alaskan Daylight Time, while northern Alaska will see about half of the sun covered by the moon.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-07 124624-1786128804207.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-07 124629-1786131371992.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-08 103029-1786206678322.png"></p><h1>Next Total Solar Eclipse in the U.S.</h1><p>A total solar eclipse will cover portions of the United States in 2044, mostly moving through Canada, but parts of western North Dakota and Montana will get a view. In 2045, a large section of the United States will be able to experience a total solar eclipse. The path of totality runs from Northern California through Salt Lake City and Denver, before moving across the South from Little Rock to Miami, FL. It's never too early to make plans...</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-07 124638-1786131683080.png"></p><h2><strong>NASA's Research:</strong></h2><p>Through this eclipse, NASA will have multiple scientific experiments on-going related to the eclipse to help us better understand these celestial events. We spoke with NASA to learn more.</p><div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/EyvkXNZBrYk" start="0"></iframe></div>

Tracey Anthony

What to Know About the Total Solar Eclipse on August 12th

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<p><strong>HIGH PLAINS</strong> - Tuesday proved to be an incredibly active day across the Central and High Plains. Storms in these parts had updrafts that exceeded 100 mph! Therefore, we were seeing hailstones that were 4.5" in diameter! That's about the size of a grapefruit. Once again, strong storms fired up Wednesday afternoon, bringing large hail and damaging winds. Wind gusts reached over 70 mph for portions of Iowa.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/plains winds-1786581631787.png"></p><h2>Overnight</h2><p>The severe threat will continue through Thursday morning. The threats we'll be tracking out here will be very similar to yesterday: damaging winds and some hail.</p><p><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/Screenshot 2026-08-12 200422-1786586713559.png"></p><p>Some storms will hold together into the overnight hours. Expect more rounds of rain and storms again on Thursday!</p><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/paisnsss-1786581513163.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h1>Rainfall totals</h1><p></p><p>Not only will severe weather be a threat, but heavy rainfall will be embedded in some of these storms. Our model data shows some areas through South Dakota and Iowa receiving upwards of 4 inches of rain through Friday!</p><h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2026/08/forecast rianfll through friday-1786581841657.png"></h1><p>Be sure to join us on WeatherNation for this story during:30 past the hour on your Central Regional Forecast.</p>

Repeated Severe Threat for the High Plains

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Karissa is the Director of On-Air Operations at WeatherNation. Karissa grew up loving math and science, but really fell in love with Meteorology while attending the College of DuPage in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. After two summers of storm chasing in the central plains, she knew that it was the career path for her. Standing in front of a thunderstorm and feeling the cool outflow knock her over was an experience she will never forget. After two years at COD, she transferred to Metropolitan State University of Denver. Karissa graduated Magna Cum Laude with a Bachelors of Science in Meteorology. Her high school and college speech and meteorology professors were extremely supportive and pushed her to succeed. Before joining the WeatherNation team, she previously worked as the Morning Meteorologist at KCAU-TV in Sioux City, Iowa and at WMBD-TV in Peoria, IL. She recently was part of a National Edward R. Murrow award winning team for breaking news for their coverage of the EF-4 tornado in Washington, Illinois. In her free time, Karissa enjoys cooking and trying new foods. She is a self proclaimed 'TV Junkie' who can get into just about any show. She is a die hard Chicago sports fan who loves attending professional sporting events.

Karissa Klos

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At WeatherNation, we're committed to educating and informing our viewers of all of the threats severe weather can bring. Each day through the first week of March, we'll highlight different aspects of hazardous spring weather, including severe thunderstorms and what you need to know to stay safe.

In case you missed it, here's what we've already covered this week:
March 1st - <a href="https://bit.ly/33YFdYG">Tornadoes</a>
March 2nd - <a href="https://bit.ly/3K2Dkth">Wind &amp; Hail</a>
March 3rd - <a href="https://bit.ly/35fbAmB">Thunderstorms</a>
March 4th - <a href="https://bit.ly/3ppH3tc">Flooding</a>
March 5th - <a href="https://bit.ly/3plBdJq">Forecasting</a>
<h1><em>PREPARATION &amp; SAFETY</em></h1>
Nocturnal severe thunderstorms present a unique, and elevated danger. Meteorologist Erik Kostrzewa explains.

[embed]https://youtu.be/GogTWibg158[/embed]

&nbsp;

There are many things you can do to help your family get ready for severe weather season. Meteorologist Patrick Crawford walks us through a helpful checklist for Severe Weather Awareness Week.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZmrTp0p0Fik[/embed]

&nbsp;

In severe weather situations, having multiple ways to get watch and warning information can mean the difference between life and death.

[embed]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Sc7Uxl9-3d4[/embed]

&nbsp;

In this week's special edition of "Building a Weather-Ready Nation," John Van Pelt talks with Doug Hilderbrand about what it means to be a "Force of Nature."

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZUEcjJil6oE

Do you know the difference between a Watch and a Warning? And what to do if one is issued for your area? We've got you covered.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nZAKC9Tfgfs&amp;t=1s

Severe Weather Awareness Week: PREP & SAFETY

PREPARATION & SAFETY

Cold Front Brings Severe Storms to the Plains

Last week, several rounds of storms moved thr

Stifling Heat Holds Steady for Southern U.S.

A ridge of high pressure continues to dominat

Heat, Some Humidity, and Storms Return to the Southwest

As we get through the work week, high pressur

Hawaii Cleaning Up after Lala Grazed the Islands

Lala continues to move westward of Kauai, sti

Front That Caused Flooding Heading East

MIDWEST - After a week of flooding rains in t

What to Know About the Total Solar Eclipse on August 12th

Get ready for one of the most spectacular dis

Repeated Severe Threat for the High Plains

HIGH PLAINS - Tuesday proved to be an incredi