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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The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions will keep storms around in coming days, with the potential for heavy rain and flash flooding. Thursday, another low from Canada moves in and increases the rain and severe threat. With the severe threat ending, we now turn our attention to the next round of showers and storms that could lead to some flooding on Friday. A Flood Watch has been issued for parts of the Northeast through Saturday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/1-1746760076538.png">As the surface low from the Mid South lifts towards the Interstate 95 region, this will focus the heaviest rain across this region. By Saturday, the thunderstorm threat slides into New England before a reinforcing cold front clears everything out on Sunday.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/New Baron Video 3-1746760409866.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video> With last week's cutoff low in the Northeast, the grounds are pretty saturated and more isolated flooding could possible. On the other hand, some of the upcoming rain is beneficial because of the drought.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/1-1746760497146.png">Tune into weather nation :10 past the hour for the eastern regional forecast for more details.

Stormy Days Ahead for the Northeast and Mid-Alantic

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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>

Rob Bradley

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A splitting storm system will bring the threat of severe weather to several areas of the US tonight, before the southern end of the split takes over across the South into Friday and the weekend to keep the pattern active.<h2>Southeastern U.S.</h2>As mentioned above, the SPC has issued a SLIGHT (level 2 out of 5) risk for severe weather across portions of the South and Appalachians. The slight risk region will be more prone to large and possibly very large hail and damaging winds. Thunderstorms will gradually end tonight and another round will be possible for Friday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/1-1746759521877.png">By Friday, storms will move farther east as the frontal boundary pushes toward the coast. On Saturday, the cut-off low in the Gulf takes over, which could lead to an expansion of Saturday's risk region.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/New Baron Video 3-1746759653906.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/1-1746759684464.png"></h2><h2>Texas</h2>Portions of Texas are also under a SLIGHT risk for severe weather on Thursday as a cold front drops south across the Lone Star State. Thursday's evening storms had a history of producing baseball size hail and wind gusts near Alice, TX of 90 mph! By Friday morning, most of the storms are out in the Gulf!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/1-1746759783571.png"> <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/1-1746759893407.png"> Unfortunately, with multiple rounds of storms, the flooding threat remains through the end of the week. For more details on the longer-range flood threat for areas like Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, read this related article here: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/florida-soaker-this-weekend#google_vignette">Southeast Soaker This Weekend.</a>Tune into WeatheNation for the latest details.

Severe Thunderstorm Threat from Texas to Florida

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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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WEST - Hazardous heat is back in the forecast for the western U.S. after a nice little reprieve from the hot temperatures. As we head into the end of the work week and the weekend, dangerously hot temperatures return.Thursday, heat alerts have already been issued for parts of California for the upcoming hot temperatures.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/1-1746760613646.png">Temperatures will be running well above average across these areas. The Mohave Desert is likely to surpass the triple digits.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-08 052900-1746703808519.jpg">This is not the only area that will be experiencing the heat. Check out Bismarck's forecast for Sunday, 91 degrees. A hot Mother's Day in store.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-08 053111-1746703908102.jpg">There are numerous cities from Friday through Sunday that may break record high temperatures. Each dot you see represents a city that may break or tie a record high. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-08 052800-1746703823369.jpg">If this is not a forecast that you enjoy, you are in luck, our longer-range outlooks show these exact areas that could break records, fall back into confidence of below average temperatures, according to the Climate Prediction Center.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-08 053040-1746703856200.jpg">

Late Week Heat Back in the West

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Chris Tomer

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A large trough of low pressure stalls over the Gulf Friday, May 9th, through Sunday, May 11th, and unloads heavy rain across the Gulf Coast and Southeastern U.S. Bad timing for anyone going on a beach vacation to Destin, Panama City, and Jacksonville.<h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/tomer setup fl-1746642191148.jpg">Heavy Rainfall</h1>As we head into the end of the week and into the weekend, as this large upper low over the Lower Mississippi Valley lingers, heavy rainfall could measure up to 3-6" with isolated totals even higher than that. The Weather Prediction Center's models are highlighting the heaviest along the northern Gulf Beaches of Florida, especially near Panama City and Tallahassee.<h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-07 175940-1746662528912.png">Timing</h1>There is still some uncertainty on the end of week flooding threat, because it is pending what happens over the next 24-48 hours, but repeated storms training along the same regions will likely lead to flooding into the weekend.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/tomer fl futurecast-1746642337401.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h1>Cooler Temps</h1>We're forecasting cooler temps in Northern Florida because of rain and cloud cover.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/tomer fl forecast temps-1746642386369.jpg">Stay with WeatherNation for the latest.

Southeast Soaker This Weekend

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Brittany Lockley

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Looking at the rain from a glass half full lens, the Four Corners has received beneficial rain and snow over the last several days. Rain and Snow totals have already started piling in for Colorado. In the past 24 hours the highest totals for rain have been over 2.50 inches for Rye and Denver has seen over an inch of rainfall. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-07 053642-1746617812907.png">The rain is not the only factor. So far, Colorado has seen over half a foot of snow, and totals will be on the rise Wednesday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-07 053705-1746617844560.png">Clouds and rain will linger through mid-morning before another round of rain will move through in the afternoon. This slow moving storm system will also deliver a big cool-down. The temperature will drop by 10-20 degrees (or more). The heaviest snow across the Colorado Rockies will continue through Wednesday for elevations 8000 ft+, along with heavy rainfall in the foothills, front range, and plains.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/2025-05-07 05-40-05-1746618046345.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>This event could bring in some much-needed snow for the higher terrains to keep the ski resorts open a little while longer across parts of the Rockies. Snow totals will likely reach 2' in the high peaks of the Colorado Rockies. Pikes Peak under a Winter Storm Warning with up to 4 feet by early Wednesday. Late-season winter storms can pose a significant risk to hikers and outdoor recreationists unprepared for winter conditions.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-07 053756-1746617906825.png">The soaking rain is another issue, as well. Some areas will be picking up 1-3 inches of rain along the I-25 corridor. Parts of southeastern CO could see isolated flooding with these showers. The mountains will keep afternoon shower chances throughout the weekend, while the rest of the areas will start to dry out.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-07 053803-1746617915680.png">After Wednesday, temperatures will start to warm back up. The area will dry out as a ridge of high pressure moves in. By the end of the week areas in the Four Corners can see temperatures 80 degrees and higher with plenty of sunshine.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-07 053931-1746617979062.png">Stay with WeatherNation for the latest.

Major Spring Storm Continues With Rain & Snow For the Rockies

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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 forecast remains wet in the southern plains and towards the Gulf Coast as we head into the next few days ahead. The area is still recovering from the record-breaking rain in the month of April. Oklahoma City recorded its wettest April ever on record.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1917692940794880495" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/1917692940794880495"></div>Excessive Rainfall Outlooks will remain in place over the next several days as all this moisture slowly moves east. Through tonight, a MODERATE outlook is in place for flooding.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-06 161511-1746569761189.png">Another MODERATE risk for flooding has been added for portions of Louisiana on Wednesday. This level 3 out of 4 risk is centered around New Orleans, LA.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-06 161607-1746569808478.png">The next week has the potential to bring 4"+ of additional rainfall to the southern U.S. As this moisture moves east, Florida could see a decent amount of moisture.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-06 161656-1746569862997.png">For more details on the severe weather component of this forecast, please be sure to read this related article: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/severe-thunderstorms-and-flooding-back-in-the-forecast-for-new-mexico-and-texas">Severe Storms from TX to LA through Wednesday</a>For more details, be sure to join us on WeatherNation!

Flooding Threat Takes Aim at the Gulf Coast

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Louisville is gearing up for the 151st Kentucky Derby this Saturday at Churchill Downs, but weather conditions leading up to the big race could put a damper on some of the festivities.&nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-03 111341-1746292431993.png">Derby Day Outlook: A Break in the Clouds&nbsp;Unfortunately, the forecast does not improve Saturday. While some lingering showers may still be around in the morning, forecasters expect any rain to pick up by midday headed into the evening. The Churchill Downs track will be extremely soggy ahead of the Derby’s scheduled post time at 6:57 p.m. ET.&nbsp;Still, after a soggy week, conditions underfoot are unlikely to be ideal. Do not expect the fast track surface seen in recent years—this year could see slower, wetter conditions like 2019, when a "sloppy" track followed light rainfall, or even 2018, which saw more than 3 inches of rain on race day.&nbsp;<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/2025-05-03 11-14-03-1746292475609.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Cooler Temperatures in the Mix&nbsp;Behind the departing rain, cooler air will settle in. Saturday's highs are expected to stay in the 60s, a touch below average for early May but comfortable for racegoers dressed for the occasion.&nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/05/Screenshot 2025-05-03 044844-1746269565704.jpg">Heading to Churchill Downs Saturday? Pack an umbrella and prepare for changing conditions. While Derby Day looks mostly dry, the lead-up could be a wet one.Now the fun part, how will this weather affect the horses? From blazing sunshine to torrential rain, the conditions on Derby Day can significantly influence the race's outcome and the experience for horses, jockeys, trainers, and fans alike 🏇🏇 Precipitation: Track conditions are the most immediate and noticeable way weather affects the Derby. Rain can quickly turn the usually fast dirt track into a sloppy or muddy surface, altering the performance of certain horses and jockeys. Some horses, known as “mudders,” thrive in wet conditions, while others struggle. For instance, in the rain-soaked 2019 Derby, the muddy track played a role in a dramatic finish that included the controversial disqualification of Maximum Security. Handicappers and bettors pay close attention to forecasts, knowing that a change in weather could shift the odds significantly.🏇 Temperature is another critical factor. A warm &amp; humid race day can drain a horse's stamina, especially those not acclimated to the heat and humidity. Trainers often adjust their preparation and hydration strategies depending on the expected weather. Cooler temperatures, on the other hand, may benefit certain horses with more endurance and less speed.🏇 Wind also plays a subtle but real role in racing dynamics. A strong headwind down the backstretch can tire front-running horses earlier than expected, while a tailwind might benefit late closers. Though less obvious than mud or rain, wind direction and speed can change race strategies and even alter the pace of the race.In a race where every fraction of a second matters, weather isn’t just a background variable—it’s a potential game-changer. Whether the sun is shining or rain is pouring, the conditions on Derby Day can leave a lasting imprint.

Rainy Forecast Could Disrupt Kentucky Derby

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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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FEATURE IMAGE AND INFORMATION COURTESY: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.noradsanta.org/">NORAD</a> Watch along with WeatherNation as we track Santa's journey around the world on Christmas Eve! &nbsp;<h1>Fun Facts About Santa's Mission:</h1>Santa's sleigh is approximately 75 candy canes in length or 150 lollypops. The weight at takeoff is 75k gumdrops and Santa is estimated to be 260 lbs at takeoff - we're not sure how much he weighs by the time he lands after all those cookies! Santa's sleigh can travel faster than starlight at maximum speed and is powered by 9 reindeer!<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/a4Bv55EZAMQ" start="0"></iframe></div><h2 style="text-align: start">How Did NORAD Get Their Start Tracking Santa?</h2>For more than 60 years, NORAD and its predecessor, the Continental Air Defense Command (CONAD) have tracked Santa’s flight.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2016/12/santa_and_shoup.jpg"> (Image: Colonel Harry Shoup, NORAD's First Santa Tracker September 29, 1917 - March 14, 2009)The tradition began in 1955 after a Colorado Springs-based Sears Roebuck &amp; Co. advertisement misprinted the telephone number for children to call Santa. Instead of reaching Santa, the phone number put kids through to the CONAD Commander-in-Chief's operations "hotline." The Director of Operations at the time, Colonel Harry Shoup, had his staff check the radar for indications of Santa making his way south from the North Pole. Children who called were given updates on his location, and a tradition was born.In 1958, the governments of Canada and the United States created a bi-national air defense command for North America called the North American Aerospace Defense Command, also known as NORAD, which then took on the tradition of tracking Santa<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/Y8eKH9VxeRY" start="0"></iframe></div>

Tracking Santa with NORAD

Fun Facts About Santa's Mission:

How Did NORAD Get Their Start Tracking Santa?

Stormy Days Ahead for the Northeast and Mid-Alantic

The Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions will k

Severe Thunderstorm Threat from Texas to Florida

A splitting storm system will bring the threa

Late Week Heat Back in the West

WEST - Hazardous heat is back in the forecast

Southeast Soaker This Weekend

A large trough of low pressure stalls over th

Major Spring Storm Continues With Rain & Snow For the Rockies

Looking at the rain from a glass half full le

Flooding Threat Takes Aim at the Gulf Coast

The forecast remains wet in the southern plai

Rainy Forecast Could Disrupt Kentucky Derby

Louisville is gearing up for the 151st Kentuc