Kara has always been passionate about weather and knew from an early age that she wanted to become a meteorologist. Living in different regions of the country and experiencing weather events ranging from ice storms to tornadoes drove her to pursue a bachelor's degree in meteorology from the University of Oklahoma. Throughout college, storm chasing became a regular event for Kara, where she saw first-hand the power of the atmosphere. Kara graduated cum laude from OU and decided to further her meteorology education with a Master's degree from Mississippi State University. The deadly April 27, 2011 tornado outbreak struck while Kara was studying at MSU; her first “Dixie Alley” tornado event and an up close glimpse into the destruction of the storms she so closely studied. Her broadcast career began in Elvis’ birthplace, Tupelo, Mississippi, where she earned her Certified Broadcast Meteorologist seal from the American Meteorological Society. Kara's career has included coverage of all types of severe weather including tornado events, flooding and tropical systems across multiple southern states. Recently she helped cover the 2020 Easter Sunday deadly tornado outbreak in southeast Mississippi. In her free time, you can find Kara outdoors exploring new areas with her mini poodle,Truffles. Kara is also an avid runner and frequently races in 5Ks, 10Ks and half marathons. Say hi to Kara on <a href="https://twitter.com/wxkara">Twitter</a> and <a href="https://www.facebook.com/karajameswx">Facebook</a>!

Kara James

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Unfortunately, we've had back-to-back weeks of severe weather with our latest impacts from an EF-3 tornado in Westmoreland, Kansas earlier this week. Our thoughts go out to those impacted. EF is short for Enhanced Fujita and can help estimate the maximum winds within a tornado, based on the extent of storm damage. Now, the storm threat continues across much of the same area throughout the day on Friday.Our field correspondent, Brandon Clement, took this video of some of the damage in Westmoreland early Wednesday morning. There were multiple homes impacted with the roof and second-floor stories torn off. There were tractor-trailers tossed around like toys. Trees were snapped in half. According to local media, at least 20 buildings sustained irreparable damage.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/VO_050124_RNC_WESTMORELAND, KS_DRONE VIEW OF TORNADO DAMAGE_WHATSAPP_BRANDON CLEMENT_KW_E050124-1714570595498.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>On Friday, a new low developed off the Rockies and brought a stormy evening across Nebraska and Kansas. There were numerous wind gust reports of 60-70 mph and large hail Friday evening. Overnight, that severe weather threat continues. Gusty winds, hail and a brief tornado are all possible as a cold front pushes east. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/05-03 RNC OVN SPC-1714789241365.jpg">Storms will primarily be in a line overnight, which lends itself to a damaging wind threat rather than tornadoes. But a spin-up tornado can form along a line of storms as well, so make sure you have multiple ways to get warnings overnight. Heavy rain accompanies these storms as well. The front shifts into the Midwest on Saturday with isolated strong and severe storms possible.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/05-03 RNC OVN Storms-1714789712178.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Saturday's storms start early, leftover from the previous evening, and continue throughout the day. Southern Missouri and Illinois look to be the most likely spots for afternoon storms as the front interacts with warm and humid air. Be prepared for an indoor alternative to any of your plans! Wind and hail will be the primary storm threats Saturday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/sat-1714736771105.jpg">

Steve Glazier

Storm Threat Continues in the Great Plains

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Summer of 1993, New England Dragway. That's when and where Steve knew he wanted to become a meteorologist. More than 20 years later he is extremely fortunate and blessed to be able to live his childhood dream. As a lover of math and science, Steve had a consistent interest in weather in elementary, middle, and high school before discovering you can major in meteorology. He attended Lyndon State College in Vermont where he received a bachelor's in meteorology-broadcasting and associate's in television news. He has worked as a meteorologist and reporter in Winchester, VA, Burlington, VT, and most recently in West Palm Beach, FL. He's recognized by the American Meteorological Society with the Certification of Broadcast Meteorologists.

Steven Glazier

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This weekend an incoming storm system will bring widespread wet weather to the West Coast, including high-elevation mountain snow! This upper low is of cold origin and will drag very cold air down into the West as it moves onshore. The cold air combined with lift and moisture leads to the weekend rain and snow. Rain is likely overnight, with the cooler air arriving Saturday morning and turning the rain to mountain snow. Heavy rain and snow continue Saturday as cold air flows in behind the low. The Cascades and Sierra Nevada look to get the heaviest snow totals. Steady snow continues into Sunday for the highest elevations, with rain for lower elevations.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/05-03 West bams-1714791438900.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>There are some locations which may receive 8-16 inches of snow across the highest mountain peaks! Snow levels will fall to 3,000-4,000 feet most commonly, but may fall as low as 2,500' elevation.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/1-1714775264496.png">If it feels like snow is falling late into the season, you may be surprised to know that the season's last snow for many West Coast communities lingers into May and for the highest elevations, even into June!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/04/est avg snowfall-1714510694011.jpg">Meanwhile, the lower elevations may accumulate up to two or three inches of rainfall! This will include cities such as Seattle, Portland, and Eureka. Isolated flooding will be possible with these types of rainfall amounts.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/Screenshot 2024-05-03 060930-1714738403613.png">As this weather system moves across the West, it will whip up a lot of wind! The wind gusts may reach up to 55-65 miles per hour across many states, and especially higher elevations. Secure your property before the wind hits! It will be strongest on Saturday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/1-1714775709534.png">Stay with WeatherNation for the latest on the forecast for the upcoming weekend.

First Weekend in May Brings Snow to West Coast

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The severe weather risk continues for west Texas and much of the central Plains after a few tornadoes were confirmed Thursday afternoon. This includes a tornado over Hawley, TX (north of Abilene) that was nearly stationary in the area for several hours. We will update you on tornado strength when the National Weather Service can survey the damage.<div class="fb-post" data-href="https://www.facebook.com/WeatherNation/videos/343514008353454" data-width="500" src="https://www.facebook.com/WeatherNation/videos/343514008353454" style="display: flex; justify-content: center"></div>The severe weather risk overnight and Saturday in Texas favors the Western half of the state where the clash of airmasses (dry and moist) occurs. This will produce a few isolated supercell storms whose primary threats are large hail and tornadoes from Lubbock south to I-20 and I-10. However, storms will be possible throughout central and west Texas into the weekend.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/05-03 RSC spc ovn-1714791881826.png">The severe weather risk overnight is elevated from San Angelo to Del Rio east to Austin, where large hail 2"+ is possible along with a brief tornado or two. Storms will fade overnight before restarting into Saturday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/05-03 RSC SPC Sat-1714791985596.png">Hailstones 2" or larger are possible on Saturday again through much of west Texas - try to park your car under cover to protect it from the storms! This is also where we have a heightened tornado risk as the same storm updrafts that aid in building large hail also can rotate and produce tornadoes.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/sigs-1714759462922.jpg">Any remaining thunderstorms overnight will tend to clump into lines with damaging wind and heavy rain the main threats, fading after midnight. A brief spin-up tornado is possible within the line as well, so make sure you have multiple ways to get warnings overnight. By Saturday afternoon a similar trend occurs with storm development aided by a stationary front and dryline. Heavy rain does not help the ongoing flood situation in the Lone Star State.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/05-03 RSC SPC Wknd-1714792255703.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>The severe weather threat continues into Sunday for central Texas, eastern Oklahoma, Arkansas and western Louisiana. All severe weather hazards will be possible, along with lightning and heavy rain.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/spc sunday-1714758347400.jpg">

Tornado Hits West Texas, More Storms this Weekend

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Texas has been hit with extremely heavy rainfall this week with multiple rounds of storms. The Trinity River area (85 miles north of Houston) received nearly a foot of rain in just 24 hours on Thursday. The past 5 days has brought nearly 2 FEET of rainfall in spots! Many roadways remain closed as rivers and streams are out of their banks. Aerial footage shows widespread flooding in Livingston, TX, and mandatory evacuations were ordered Thursday night for those on the east fork of the San Jacinto River northeast of Houston.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1786100846977245395" src="https://twitter.com/WeatherNation/status/1786100846977245395"></div>River flooding will be a concern near the Trinity and San Jacinto Rivers the next several days as upstream dams release water southward. Many rivers are at "major" flood stage, inundating surrounding neighborhoods. The ground in Texas has become saturated in the last week and additional rainfall will be a huge concern for more flooding and overwhelmed waterways.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/1-1714774315813.png">The flood threat overnight into Saturday is lower, but any additional rain, light as it is, will cause additional stress on the overwhelmed waterways and add to flooding issues. And the flood threat this weekend ramps up again as a stationary front and dryline initiate multiple rounds of storms.Storms will develop Saturday afternoon along a stationary front and dryline, increasing in coverage through the day and into the overnight hours. Sunday is a repeat performance, with another round of afternoon and evening storms moving into southeast Texas through the night.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/05-03 RSC Texas flooding-1714792723340.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Rain totals by the end of the weekend will be anywhere from 1-3" overall, but pockets of 3-5" are possible where multiple rounds of storms come through. Flooding will be expected, and likely exasperated in areas of southeast Texas already hard-hit with flooding earlier this week. Never drive through flooded roads!

Texas: 2 FEET of Rain in 5 Days

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<div>Lucy is originally from the Boston area but has spent the last four years forecasting and living in Colorado! She stayed in the northeast for her education, graduating Summa Cum Laude from SUNY Oswego with a B.S. in Meteorology. Just a few days after graduation, she made the cross country move to Colorado Springs, CO to begin her career at KKTV, the CBS affiliate. Lucy has covered historic blizzards, tornadoes, windstorms, the largest wildfires in Colorado state history and dust storms ... they truly "get it all" in Colorado! Lucy is excited to forecast on a national level and continue her passion of explaining the science behind the weather!</div>
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Lucy Bergemann

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Above - Moore, Oklahoma tornado damage in May 1999 (Photo: NWS Norman)May 3rd marks the anniversary of a deadly F5 tornado that struck Bridge Creek, Moore, and Oklahoma City, OK in 1999. This year is the 25th anniversary of the historic storm that was on the ground for 38 miles, carving a path of destruction from Chickasha through the southern suburbs of Oklahoma City. Sadly, this one storm left 46 people dead and 800 injured. Over 8,000 homes were destroyed as a result of the EF-5 tornado. The tornado messaging was a first of its kind too, when NWS Norman issued a "tornado emergency" to grab the Public's attention beyond a typical "tornado warning" <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/track-1714753651978.jpg">The tornado cut a path through communities 1/2 to 3/4 of a mile wide. It wiped out entire communities in the Oklahoma City metro. Though the Bridge Creek-Moore tornado was the strongest storm as an F5 there were an additional two F4 tornadoes in central Oklahoma. Six more tornadoes were F3! According to the National Weather Service in Norman, OK, "The final total of 72 tornadoes makes May 3-4, 1999 event the largest outbreak of tornadoes for Oklahoma since official records began in 1950." <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/norman-1714753745770.jpg">Above - Moore, Oklahoma tornado damage in May 1999 (Photo: NWS Norman)This tornado was one of 74 that touched down on May 3, 1999, in Oklahoma and Kansas. Five deaths, 100 injuries and heavy damage were reported from the Wichita, Kansas metro area. For Oklahoma, the majority of deaths from the tornado outbreak occurred as a result of the Bridge-Creek Moore F5, a total of 36 with over 580 injured by the storm. In modern U.S. history, there have only been 59 F5 or EF5 tornadoes, most recently in Moore, OK in 2013. The Fujita (F) scale transitioned to the "Enhanced Fujita" scale (EF) in 2007. According to the<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weather.gov/tae/ef_scale#:~:text=The%20EF%20Scale%20takes%20into,type%2C%20structures%2C%20and%20trees."> National Weather Service</a>, "The EF Scale takes into account more variables than the original F Scale did when assigning a wind speed rating to a tornado. The EF Scale incorporates 28 damage indicators (DIs) such as building type, structures, and trees." There are 8 degrees of damage for each indicator to help survey crews determine storm extent and strength.

Remembering Moore: 25th Anniversary of F5 Tornado

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Similar areas that have been at risk since the end of April will experience another bout of severe weather from Monday through Wednesday. The Storm Prediction Center [SPC] has issued the severe weather outlooks for Monday through Wednesday, indicating confidence in the environment to produce severe storms. All severe weather threats are possible during this stretch: damaging wind, large hail, and a few tornadoes.Monday, the severe weather threat stretches from the I-29 corridor through the Red River Valley, with an elevated severe weather risk through central Kansas (above). On Tuesday the severe weather threat stretches from Arkansas through the Midwest including Chicago, St. Louis and Little Rock (below).<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/spc tuesay-1714738498807.png">On Wednesday the threat shifts a bit further south, impacting southern Missouri, Arkansas, eastern Oklahoma, and northeast Texas. All modes of severe weather are on the table.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/spc wednesday-1714738498809.png">This is thanks to another wave of energy from the Pacific moving east throughout the weekend, providing enough lift to support storm development. At the surface we have moisture streaming north contributing to instability ahead of a surface cold front.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/2024-05-01 10-51-01-1714583042845.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>The central and southern Plains are a bullseye for severe weather in May. The moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and cooler air from Canada clash over Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas, elevating the severe threat. We know this is another day of severe weather on the horizon, but please don't let severe weather fatigue get the best of you.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/BULLESYE-1714582936940.jpg">Stay with WeatherNation for the latest information on the severe weather threat ahead in early May.

Multi-Day Severe Outbreak Possible Monday - Wednesday

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Numerous high-temperature records fell across the Northeast Thursday, including parts of the Interstate 95 corridor! For example, Washington D.C reached a daytime high of 91 degrees and the normal high for this time of the year is 73 degrees! Raleigh, NC reached 92 degrees with many other cities along the East Coast reaching the 80s and 90s. Some of the records tied or broken are over 125 years old.<h2>Northeast</h2>The warmth continues on Friday in the mid-Atlantic while we start to see cold air intrusion in New England. Temperatures fall through the weekend back towards or below average.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/today-1714743002037.jpg">The reason for the cool down in New England is a cold front that moves through. It won't produce a lot of wet weather, but a few isolated showers in coastal Massachusetts and Maine are possible. More showers arrive with an additional system on Saturday and will contribute to a larger cool-down for the Midwest.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/2024-05-03 07-30-20-1714743068852.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h2>Southeast</h2>The heat will also impact the Southeast, and while it won't necessarily be record-setting, it will be about 10-15 degrees above normal. Highs jump into the 90s in Florida Peninsula with close to 90 even up into central Alabama. The above-average warmth and humidity will help lead to daily chances of afternoon thunderstorms.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/3 days-1714743002034.jpg">By Wednesday of next week, the temperatures start to soar - highs jump into the 90s and 100s with the potential to tie or break records from Texas through Florida through Friday!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/s reocrds-1714758091469.jpg">There is confidence in the above-average temperature forecasting continuing through the next couple of weeks. We expect above-average temperatures from the Carolinas through the Gulf Coast!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/05/extended-1714758193432.jpg">

Temps Climb on the East Coast, South

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<img class="alignnone wp-image-99123 size-full" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/10/nw-o.jpg" alt="Two Days, Two Tornadoes" width="1920" height="1080" />

There have been two tornadoes confirmed near Portland, OR so far this week.

https://twitter.com/i/status/1057075077152272384

According to the <a href="https://www.weather.gov/pqr/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">National Weather Service in Portland, OR</a>, the state has an average of about 2 tornadoes per year, which they say makes this "not too unusual."

https://twitter.com/NWSPortland/status/1056995080341463040

<img class="alignnone wp-image-99124 size-full" src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2018/10/oregon.jpg" alt="Two Days, Two Tornadoes" width="1920" height="1080" />

For WeatherNation, I'm <a href="https://media.weathernationtv.com/team/meredith-garofalo/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Meteorologist Meredith Garofalo</a>