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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Wild developments have surfaced from the state of California this week after local authorities arrested a man believed to be tied to the Park Fire. The fire began Wednesday, July 24 and within a day, had grown to more than 124,000 acres with little containment. Now, the fire is burning more than 178,000 acres. The fire is burning across Butte and Tehama County, north of Chico. According to the Butte County District Attorney, a 42-year-old man was arrested early Thursday morning by arson investigators for allegedly pushing a car that was on fire into a gully, spreading flames that caused the Park Fire. Here is the full press release.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Butte County Press Release-1721946423056.jpeg">The fire quickly grew after being ignited. About 6 hours after its initiation, around sunset Wednesday, the size of the fire was estimated at around 6,000 acres. The following morning, at dawn on Thursday, the estimated size was around 45,000 acres. By Thursday afternoon, about 24 hours after the fire started, the size ballooned up to more than 70,000 acres. The fire continued to grow overnight. The map below shows how much the fire activity has grown. Note: The tiny, circular orange area was Wednesday's burn scar, the larger mustard-colored area was from Thursday, and Friday's growth is highlighted in yellow.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 123933-1722019193215.png">The fire has been growing north, burning land across the mountains of the northern Sierra Nevada Range. The weather in this region has been warm and dry, with afternoon temperatures in the upper 90s to near 100 degrees. Winds have been steady from the south, blowing to the north, around 10-15 miles per hour. Relative humidity level has ranged from 10-25 percent. All of these numbers point to weather conditions that are conducive to fire growth.Unfortunately, the fire weather conditions appear prime for further wildfire growth because of the continued warmth, dryness, and wind across the steep and mountainous terrain. This fire will likely continue spreading and pouring smoke to the north-northeast across northern California, northwest Nevada, and into Oregon and Idaho.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/07-26_nat hrrr smoke 18z-1722041318031.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>The wildfire season is cranking up across the West, with many new wildfires in the past few weeks. We're entering the hottest time of the year in this part of the country, which could continue drying vegetation and making it conducive for fire starts. Prevent future fires by obeying burn bans, avoiding anything that sparks, and properly disposing of anything lit on fire. We'll update you on this developing story.

Alana Cameron

Man Arrested After "Pushing Fiery Car Into Gully" to Start Park Fire

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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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Smoke from large wildfires burning in the northwestern U.S. and western Canada has been getting caught in the jet stream and pushed into the U.S. Plains. Thick smoke from numerous wildfires in NW Canada is also contributing to the poor air quality region-wide.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 104850-1722012547055.png">As mentioned above, smoke is riding around our area of high pressure on the West Coast projecting smoke particles into the central U.S. An area of low pressure arriving from the Northwest will shift the flow in the coming days and should help with some of the worst of the air quality. If you are sensitive to air quality, spend time inside with windows closed. If you have to go outside and are coughing from the smoke, you can wear a particulate filtering mask, like an N-95 to help mitigate the impact.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 184410-1722041060218.png"><h2>Northwest</h2>Numerous large fires are burning in Oregon, producing large amounts of smoke. They include:<ul><li>The Durkee Fire (eastern Oregon): moderate fire behavior is expected. Some containment has occurred, but the fire has now burned over 288k acres. A burn ban is in effect for all of Malheur County.</li><li>The Cow Valley Fire: the fire is now almost completely contained.</li><li>Falls Fire (13m north of Burns, OR): continues to burn with extremely unfavorable weather conditions for firefighters.</li><li>Lone Rock Fire (north-central Oregon): increased smokiness from other fires has suppressed the extreme fire conditions.</li><li>Battle Mountain Complex: consists of three fires, the North Fork Owens, the Snake Fire, and the Monkey Creek Fire near Ukiah, Oregon, and is 140+ acres</li></ul><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 130752-1722020896143.png">Fire danger remains extremely high this week with thunderstorms in the area expected to produce lightning which could start new fires across the area. We will see strong winds fuel flames - on Wednesday there was a 100+ mph wind gust in Missoula, MT. Fire danger remains elevated as<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/triple-digit-temps-on-the-west-coast-for-the-fourth"> </a><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/triple-digit-temps-contine-out-west">extreme heat continues along the west coast. </a>Please avoid any outdoor burning or anything that will cause a spark. Hot and dry conditions mean water and moisture evaporate more quickly from trees, grasses, and shrubs, allowing them to burn faster.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 184621-1722041190170.png"><h2>Southwest Fires</h2><ul><li>Park Fire: (near Chico, CA): Now California's biggest fire so far this season, blowing up to 164k acres will little containment. See the related article <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/man-arrested-after-pushing-fiery-car-into-gully-to-start-park-fire#google_vignette">here</a>.</li><li>2024 SQF Lightning Complex (Tulare County, CA): this consists of the lightning storms that ignited the Trout and Long Fire on the Sequoia National Forest.</li><li>Shelly Fire (northern California): little to no growth is anticipated as fuels continue to smolder. Drivers in the area should remain alert for fire personnel.</li><li>Silver King Fire (central Utah): slightly drier and warmer air will result in minimal fire behavior and limited fire spread.</li><li>Lake Fire (Santa Barbara County, CA): nearly fully contained after starting July 5th and forcing evacuations in the county. Grew to over 38k acres</li><li>Sandhurst Fire (near SLC, UT): Started July 20th, and grew so rapidly that it prompted officers to go door to door to remind residents about their evacuation zones.</li></ul>

Jesse Kelley

Wildfire Smoke Impacting Air Quality Across the West, Central U.S.

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The Southern United States has exhausted its list of descriptions for the wet weather. It's raining heavily, with terms like "it's raining cats and dogs," "it's a gully washer," and "it's a toad strangler" being used. Whatever the phrase, it's been consistently wet across the Deep South and Southeast. The cause? Typically, it's due to a slow-moving boundary known as a stationary front.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/07-26_Rsc_18z-1722041582337.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>The image above shows that stationary front, depicted by the alternating blue and red colors. By definition, a stationary front is a boundary separating weather air masses that are moving less than five miles per hour. Because of its slow movement, additional showers and thunderstorms can be expected across the South and Southeast U.S. through this weekend.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 185153-1722041598651.png"><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 185324-1722041617443.png">Some good news is coming to this region, in the form of some drier times. This stubborn front will begin to move just a little bit more through tonight and this weekend, allowing some towns and cities to get drier weather. However, another few inches of rain will be on its way to sections of the Gulf Coast and Southeast beaches.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Baron 2-1722030442873.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>

Relentless Rainfall Continues for the South

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Kevin Schneider

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Conditions are quiet in the tropical Atlantic, in part thanks to plumes of Saharan Dust. Each year, the Saharan Air Layer (SAL) moves off the west coast of Africa following east-to-west trade winds, most common in June, July, and early August.&nbsp;While responsible for creating smoke-like haze across the mid and high levels of the atmosphere, the SAL is also helpful in suppressing tropical development. Dry air mixes into the middle and higher levels of the atmosphere, preventing or substantially reducing the ability for tropical storms and/or hurricanes to develop. The Hurricane Hunters were out flying into the dust to collect valuable data to help answer the question of "Why?"<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1815861951047819415" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/1815861951047819415"></div>Thicker plumes of dust can impact visibility and will continue to do so over the southern U.S. this week as multiple plumes of dust arrive from the tropical Atlantic into Texas, Louisiana, and Florida. Because dust is suspended so high in our atmosphere, impacts on air quality will be extremely limited. The biggest noticeable impact will be the haze, mostly at night! Sunrises and sunsets will have a slightly different look, with a slightly reddish hue.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Baron 2-1722050110126.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>It is typical to have a quiet month during July with the most likely areas of formation and tropical development in the Gulf and along the East Coast. However, towards the end of July and early August, there are indications of potential tropical development in the Caribbean. This is still quite a way away, but keep your eye out for the potential of storm development in the next few weeks. However, there is a tropical wave in the Central Atlantic that has a low chance of development in the next few days and you can read about it <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/tropical-storm-bud-forms-over-the-eastern-pacific">here.</a><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 104455-1722012310124.png">Ocean temperatures contribute to the threat of an above-average tropical season with ocean heat content much above normal in the Atlantic in 2024. There are some cooler surface temperatures in the western Gulf following Hurricane Beryl, which caused "upwelling" and brought cooler ocean water to the surface. The most above-average conditions are off the coast of New England, roughly 5° above average. It only takes one storm to impact you and the time to prepare is before the storm hits!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/sst-1721904761809.png">The NOAA forecast is aligned with that of <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/atlantic-hurricane-season-2024-expected-to-be-well-above-average">Colorado State University</a> which also calls for a well above average season.&nbsp;The official list of names only has 21 total and the higher end of NOAA's forecast calls for up to 25 storms. If forecasts pan out, there is an alternate list to supplement. The last time additional names were needed was during the record-setting 2020 season when La Niña conditions were also present.&nbsp;Below is the list of hurricane names we will go through first before we head into the alternative names list.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/forecasts-1720811702374.jpg">This year is expected to be above average thanks to warm sea surface temperatures and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/la-nina-likely-to-return-for-hurricane-season">La Niña conditions returning just in time for the peak of Hurricane season</a>. La Niña is categorized by cooler-than-average sea surface temperatures in the equatorial Pacific Ocean, typically resulting in less wind shear over the Atlantic and Caribbean oceans. Less wind shear means hurricanes can thrive, rather than be torn apart by strong upper-level winds. In the Eastern Pacific, a La Niña Pattern typically spells below-average activity,<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.noaa.gov/news-release/noaa-predicts-below-normal-2024-central-pacific-hurricane-season"> which is what NOAA is predicting in 2024.</a>

Saharan Dust Reaching the Southern U.S.

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Tropical Storm Bud formed in the Eastern Pacific Ocean on Wednesday afternoon and has since become a post-tropical cyclone. This was the second named tropical storm of the season in the Eastern Pacific. The storm is expected to remain over open waters and is NO threat to land. Storm strength will deteriorate over the next few days before Bud becomes a remnant low-pressure system. The Eastern Pacific Hurricane season has two distinct peaks, one in August and another in mid-September, coinciding with the Atlantic tropical season peak of activity. This year is expected to be at or below average in the eastern Pacific basin because of La Nina conditions, which spell more activity over the Atlantic but less activity over the Eastern Pacific because shear (turning of wind with height) tears apart hurricane structure. Still, it only takes one storm to impact you on the West Coast, so please stay aware.<h2><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/e pac-1721855375318.jpg">Atlantic</h2>The National Hurricane Center is now monitoring a tropical wave in the Atlantic Basin that has a 20% chance of tropical formation in the next 7 days.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 122112-1722018899369.png">One of the limiting factors of this wave is the fact that some Saharan Dust may bring impacts and help weaken the potential for tropical development.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/07-26_saharan ust-1722018954254.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>

Tropics: Post-Tropical Cyclone Bud, Wave in the Atlantic

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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.

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A stagnant ridge of high pressure has led to weeks of endless heat across the southwestern U.S. The ridge of high pressure responsible for the extreme heat has been sitting over the West Coast since the beginning of July, shifting back and forth from the Four Corners to the Desert Southwest. If you are looking for relief, the long-range pattern doesn't support much as the large ridge of high pressure moves eastward! Much of the United States will see warmer temperatures as move into August!<h1><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 083814-1722004897883.png">California/Southwest</h1>Heat alerts remain in effect through tonight, with desert areas expecting highs above 115° possible, as we are in our fourth week of extreme temperatures. The rest of the southwest will see a brief break in the extreme heat, before warming again next week.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 125832-1722020342661.png">High temperatures have been above average in Las Vegas nearly every day this month, and just about half of those days, record-breaking. The city saw its all-time record high on July 7th, hitting 120 degrees. The previous all-time record high was 117 degrees, matching 3 more times that week.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 090607-1722006510418.png">As the ridge of high pressure mentioned above warbles around, highs will remain above average but gradually cool through the weekend along the immediate West Coast. Monsoonal moisture in the 4 Corners will alleviate the extremely hot temperatures for Colorado, New Mexico, and Utah.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 130005-1722020421166.png"><h1>Midwest and Northern Plains</h1>Thursday was pretty toasty across parts of Montana and the Dakotas with the record heat. Friday's cold front is helping to knock temperatures down some. However, longer-range forecasts show the heatwave increasing across the Central and Southern Plains starting next week! <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-26 130153-1722020535615.png"> The persistent ridging will build back north driving temperatures in the Central and Southern Plains to record-setting levels. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/1-1721963337145.png">

Non-Stop Heat Into Next Week

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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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Typhoon Gaemi (Kemi) is impacting Tawain this week with torrential rainfall leading to widespread flooding and strong winds. According to the Joint Typhoon Warning Center, "Typhoon Gaemi made landfall along the northern coast of Taiwan on [July 24th], after completing a rather wild counter-clockwise loop along the east coast of Taiwan during the preceding 12 hours."<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1816146458191749152" src="https://x.com/iCyclone/status/1816146458191749152"></div>While the loop of the storm is unusual, it is not unheard of, it has happened in the past in 1960 with Typhoon Shirley, Mary in 1965, Sarah in 1989, and most recently with Typhoon Sinlaku in 2008. This is research from scientists<a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/mwre/146/5/mwr-d-17-0208.1.xml"> Hsu and team in (2018).</a> This can happen when "the environmental flow is distorted or impeded by the Taiwan topography, thereby modifying the TC structure" according to the study. Below is a figure from the research highlighting the center tracks that have rotated around before, like Gaemi.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/GTRc8t9agAA4TlN-1721856886757.png">The storm will continue to move to the west through the next few days, bringing heavy rain to mainland China as it continues to weaken. The Joint Typhoon Warning Center forecasts Tropical Cyclones across the Indian and Western Pacific Oceans and was established in 1959 and manned by Navy and Air Force personnel to alert the Department of Defense to potential tsunami threats across the globe.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/2024-07-24 15-15-29-1721855848815.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Where you are in the world determines what your tropical names are; typhoons are another name for hurricanes and occur in the far western Pacific Ocean.<div data-youtube-video=""><iframe width="640" height="480" allowfullscreen="false" src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/s2oA3SvCex0" start="0"></iframe></div>

Typhoon Gaemi Displays Unusual Spin Over Taiwan

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Rounds of heavy rain have been creating scattered flooding issues in Louisiana, Texas, and Mississippi over the last few days, thanks to a stalled frontal system. Some locations in Texas and Louisiana have been upgraded to a moderate risk of flash flooding (level 3 of 4) by the Weather Prediction Center(below) on Thursday!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/1-1721877695212.png">Many places in the South Central U.S. have already piled up over 6-7" of rain within a day. Remember to never drive through flooded waters! <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/tx rain reports-1721834239264.png">The low-pressure system that's relatively stagnant, increases rain chances across the states of Texas, Louisiana, and the Lower Mississippi Valley. Increased Gulf flow will bring heavy downpours to the Gulf Coast as this front dissipates.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Baron 2-1721877778458.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Thunderstorm activity is expected to peak each afternoon and evening through Thursday. A few strong storms are possible, but flooding looks to be the bigger impact. Rainfall totals over the week ahead are likely to top 3-6 inches for a large portion of Texas and Louisiana, mostly south of I-20. Isolated totals over 8 inches are possible where multiple rounds of thunderstorms form. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-24 122632-1721845603159.jpg">The Weather Prediction Center (WPC) has outlined portions of the South with the potential for flash flooding through the start of the weekend. The soils are saturated after Hurricane Beryl dropped heavy rain in eastern Texas. From Galveston, to Houston, and up through Shreveport, flooding will be at a heightened threat since the ground can't act like a sponge as well as it normally does.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/accum-1721731074440.png">

Flash Flooding Ongoing in Texas and Louisiana

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Stormy afternoons remain in the forecast across the Four Corners and Desert Southwest, which is typical during the height of monsoon season. Moisture rotating around the monsoonal high will usher in flood potential and a few strong storms. A slight risk (level 2 out of 5) is in place on Wednesday for portions of Arizona.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-24 212413-1721877889177.png">For the rest of the evening and the next few afternoons, you can expect scattered thunderstorms to pop up across parts of the Southwest! Rain chances will begin to increase in areas of New Mexico and the rest of the 4 Corners. The biggest threats will be gusty winds and heavy rain!<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Baron 2-1721878069392.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>The Weather Prediction Center has issued excessive rainfall outlooks over the next 5 days. These outlooks are issued when model data suggests rainfall will exceed flash flooding guidance; the outlooks are rated on a scale of 1 to 4 (marginal to high). Even rainfall amounts as low as an inch can come down fast enough to lead to flooding.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/07-24_rsw eros-1721845827621.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>

Arizona Expecting Severe Storms Today

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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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A hydrothermal explosion occurred Tuesday morning, July 23rd in Yellowstone National Park near Sapphire Pool in Biscuit Basin. The Sapphire Pool is located just north of Old Faithful. The boardwalk was damaged, but thankfully, there have been no reports of injuries. Biscuit Basin in Yellowstone National Park is temporarily closed due to the explosion. Photos from the National Park Service show debris and damage to the walkway.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1815835206739202445" src="https://x.com/YellowstoneNPS/status/1815835206739202445"></div>The <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.usgs.gov/observatories/yvo/news/hydrothermal-explosions-yellowstone-national-park">United States Geological Survey</a>, USGS, states, "Hydrothermal explosions are violent and dramatic events resulting in the rapid ejection of boiling water, steam, mud, and rock fragments." They are relatively common in Yellowstone and more common than volcanic eruptions!<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1815852305184428296" src="https://x.com/USGSVolcanoes/status/1815852305184428296"></div>A similar incident occurred on April 15th, 2024 at the Norris Geyser Basin. According to NPS, "No other monitoring data show changes in the Yellowstone region. Today’s explosion does not reflect a change in the volcanic system, which remains at normal background levels of activity." Additional monitoring of activity and reopening potential will continue to be monitored.

Hydrothermal Explosion at Yellowstone National Park

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A stalled front will keep the next several days soggy across the South. A stretch of torrential downpours led to some new daily rainfall records, in places like Florence, SC which picked up more than 2 inches of rain Monday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/carolina rain reports-1721739800172.jpg">The past few days have varied the intensity of the storms, with some storms carrying flooding rain alongside strong, gusty winds. While severe weather isn't expected to be widespread, a few windy storms will be possible in the next few afternoons.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-23 205245-1721789600570.png">Keep in mind that any thunderstorm can pose severe hazards, such as dangerous cloud-to-ground lightning, heavy rainfall, flash flooding, and damaging wind gusts. It's never a bad idea to be prepared for the threat of strong storms.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/07-23_rse_fcst 12z-1721779786031.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>As this frontal system remains stalled, more scattered storms and showers will continue for the next several days. Some locations will pick up 3-5 inches of rain, on top of what they might have already received.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/wpc qpf 1-5-1721739906285.jpg">Make sure to tune into WeatherNation for more details as the rain falls!

Heavy Rain, Gusty Winds Expected in the Southeast

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The National Weather Service (NWS) in Chicago, Illinois confirmed two additional tornadoes from Monday's derecho event. The office made the announcement Friday, also stating that the 24 tornadoes is the most confirmed tornadoes in a single day for their forecast area of northern Illinois. The previous record was 22 tornadoes on June 30, 2014 and more recently on March 31, 2023.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-19 160849-1721427224759.png">Nationwide, the tornado count for 2024 has already surpassed the yearly average. It's only late-July and the mainland U.S. has already had about 1,400 tornadoes. The average number of tornadoes in any given (entire) year is around 1,350.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-19 160857-1721427324810.png">By far, the busiest month was May. During that month, 571 tornadoes hit the country. It came after a busy April, too. Putting April and May together, there were about 950 tornadoes! April, May, and June is statistically the busiest time for tornadoes in the United States.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-19 160909-1721427399351.png">From now through the end of the year, we average an additional 250-300 tornadoes. If you're ever caught in a tornado warning, a basement or underground room is the safest place to ride out the storm. If you can't access a basement, the lowest and most-interior section of a well-built, sturdy structure is safest.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-19 160957-1721427482183.png">As far as it goes for Sunday July 21, 2024 we will have some scattered thunderstorms across the Rocky Mountains, Southern Plains, and the Southeast U.S. Some of these may be severe, especially in states such as New Mexico, Texas, and the Carolinas.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-19 160938-1721427543306.png">

24 Tornadoes Confirmed in Chicago-Land, Most in Single Day

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Artist's concept of the NOAA Gulfstream G550. (Image credit: Gulfstream Aerospace Corporation)The Hurricane Hunter fleet is getting an upgrade. NOAA announced Tuesday, July 16th, that it is awarding a 106 million dollar contract to Gulfstream Aerospace Company for a fully modified G550 aircraft that will measure the atmosphere around hurricanes and tropical storms starting in 2028. The aircraft is the second that NOAA has purchased from Gulfstream since 2019, with the first G550 to be delivered and operational in Spring 2025. The pair of new aircraft are replacements to the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.omao.noaa.gov/aircraft-operations/noaa-hurricane-hunters">NOAA Hurricane Hunter fleet</a>, the Gulfstream IV-SP, operational since 1996. The Gulfstream IV-SP can, "fly high, fast and far with a range of 4,000 nautical miles and a cruising altitude of 45,000 ft., paint[ing] a detailed picture of weather systems in the upper atmosphere surrounding developing hurricanes." The aircraft also support a range of atmospheric missions, especially those over open waters where sensing of weather conditions is lacking. <div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1813271122076705247" src="https://x.com/NOAA_HurrHunter/status/1813271122076705247?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Etweet"></div>Other aircraft in NOAA's hurricane aircraft fleet include two Lockheed Martin P-3 Orions which fly directly into hurricanes to measure the atmospheric composition. The three NOAA aircraft, together with the <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.403wg.afrc.af.mil/About/Fact-Sheets/Display/Article/192529/53rd-weather-reconnaissance-squadron-hurricane-hunters/">United States Air Force (USAF) 53rd Weather Reconssiance Squadron</a> based out of Biloxi, MS measure hurricanes and tropical storm conditions throughout the tropical season to bring valuable information to forecasters on land about storm strength, wind speed and motion. According to NOAA Administrator Rick Spinrad, Ph.D., “These new state-of-the-art aircraft will greatly enhance NOAA’s ability to gather data critical to hurricane research and forecasting, atmospheric river research and forecasting, climate studies, and other missions.” Sensors on the new Gulfstream 550 include a tail-mounted Doppler Radar System and will be able to fly at an altitude 6,000 feet higher than their predecessor. Better measurement from these aircraft will help forecasters improve intensity and track forecasts as well as provide the public with longer forecast lead times ahead of the storm.

New Aircraft Set to Join Hurricane Hunter Fleet

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An upper-level low diving through the Plains sparked gusty thunderstorms on Saturday, producing 60-70 mph gusts across Colorado, Wyoming, and Texas. The severe weather risk will continue across the southwestern Plains through Saturday night.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/1-1721531005771.png">Afternoon showers and thunderstorms will continue through Saturday night, all moving to the south-southeast across Wyoming, Nebraska, Colorado, Kansas, New Mexico, and Texas. Some storms may persist overnight especially across the urban corridor of Colorado.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Baron 2-1721531151450.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>The rain and cold front moving south will help to bring cooler air for the weekend. Enjoy the relief from the heat!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Screenshot 2024-07-20 163604-1721514971716.png">

60 MPH Gusts Blast the Great Plains, Storms Continue

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If you had the feeling the start of the summer season has been busy from a weather standpoint, you'd be correct. NOAA and <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="http://Climate.gov">Climate.gov</a> have released their <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.climate.gov/news-features/features/us-climate-summary-june-2024">summary for June</a> including major weather events and additions to the Billion Dollar Disasters. In June, 4 new <a target="_blank" rel="noopener" href="https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/access/billions/">Billion-Dollar Weather and Climate Disasters</a> were added to 2024, bringing the year-to-date total to 15 disasters. According to NOAA, the four confirmed billion-dollar disasters "include[e] two hail events that impacted Texas and Colorado at the end of April and end of May, respectively, one severe weather event that impacted the central, southern, and eastern U.S. in mid-May and a tornado outbreak that impacted portions of the Central U.S. in mid-May.&nbsp;<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/billions-1720813584259.png"> Additional possible billion-dollar disasters from June and July are as follows:<ul><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow">Central Severe Weather</a>: Hail storms, high wind and tornadoes impact several central states on June 12-13.</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/a-foot-of-rain-leads-to-river-flooding-in-the-plains">High Plains and Midwest Flooding</a> in Iowa, Minnesota and South Dakota</li><li><a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/over-2-million-without-power-in-texas-from-hurricane-beryl">Hurricane Beryl</a> in late June and early July. Beryl became the earliest Category 5 storm ever on record and the first Category 4 hurricane in the Atlantic Basin ever in June. </li></ul>The month of June was also extremely toasty with an average temperature in the lower 48 of 71.8°F, 3.4°F above average. This makes June 2024 the second warmest June in 130 years of record keeping. There were heat waves in the Southwest, Great Lakes, and Northeast. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/us-climate-summary-june-temperature-anomalies-2024-07-11-1720813584257.png">Other notable weather events during June included the deadly South Fork Fire that forced the evacuation of the entire town of Ruidoso, NM, and claimed two lives. The fire was started by lightning. Tropical storm Alberto impacted far south Texas and northern Mexico with heavy rainfall, storm surge and damaging winds. According to NOAA, "Some Texas communities saw nearly three times their June average for rainfall over 48 hours from Tropical Storm Alberto, including the Gulf Coast-area city of Rockport, Texas, which received 9.97 inches of rain from the storm; its June average is 3.66 inches. Similarly, Alice, Texas, received 6.57 inches of rain—nearly triple its June average of 2.32 inches."The Lone Star State had its fair share of busy weather in June; early in the month huge hail struck the state. On June 2nd a hailstone over 6.25 inches in diameter hit the Texas Panhandle — this could be the new state record for largest hail diameter.

June Weather Recap: Active Start to the Summer

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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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Tornado-warned storms drove through portions of New York State and Pennsylvania on Monday and Tuesday causing damage to homes in the area. Very large hail up to 3" in diameter was reported in cities like Victor, New York on Monday evening. Farmington, New York at one point was under a tornado warning (outside of Rochester). The storm that caused the damage in Rome, pictured below, was rated an EF-2 with estimated max winds up to 135 mph.<div class="twitter-tweet" style="display: flex; justify-content: center" data-twitt-post-id="1813322062028525760" src="https://x.com/WeatherNation/status/1813322062028525760"></div><h2>Through Tonight</h2>The Storm Prediction Center has issued a marginal and slight risk through tonight for portions of the east. Cities in the slight risk (level 2 out of 5) include New York and Philadelphia. Strong gusty winds will be the primary concern as a frontal boundary continues to move through this evening. Any storms that develop tonight will have the potential to be strong to severe. Storms will see a weakening trend through the overnight hours.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/THROUGH TONIGHTR EAST-1721265660377.png"><video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/Baron 2-1721272368017.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>The stormy weather will subside on Thursday as drier and cooler air works its way into the region. It won't feel fall-like, but the record heat and high humidity will ease. Extremely hot temperatures and high humidity fueled Wednesday's storms, but the good news is the heat finally drops behind the cold front for Thursday and folks will see some relief. Buffalo, NY will be below average Thursday and Friday with temps in the 70s. New York City will see highs in the low 80s.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2024/07/temps hellp-1721264848180.png">

Man Arrested After "Pushing Fiery Car Into Gully" to Start Park Fire

Man Arrested After "Pushing Fiery Car Into Gu

Wildfire Smoke Impacting Air Quality Across the West, Central U.S.

Wildfire Smoke Impacting Air Quality Across t

Relentless Rainfall Continues for the South

Relentless Rainfall Continues for the South

Saharan Dust Reaching the Southern U.S.

Saharan Dust Reaching the Southern U.S.

Tropics: Post-Tropical Cyclone Bud, Wave in the Atlantic

Tropics: Post-Tropical Cyclone Bud, Wave in t

Non-Stop Heat Into Next Week

Non-Stop Heat Into Next Week

Typhoon Gaemi Displays Unusual Spin Over Taiwan

Typhoon Gaemi Displays Unusual Spin Over Taiw

Flash Flooding Ongoing in Texas and Louisiana

Flash Flooding Ongoing in Texas and Louisiana

Arizona Expecting Severe Storms Today

Arizona Expecting Severe Storms Today

Hydrothermal Explosion at Yellowstone National Park

Hydrothermal Explosion at Yellowstone Nationa

Heavy Rain, Gusty Winds Expected in the Southeast

Heavy Rain, Gusty Winds Expected in the South

24 Tornadoes Confirmed in Chicago-Land, Most in Single Day

24 Tornadoes Confirmed in Chicago-Land, Most

New Aircraft Set to Join Hurricane Hunter Fleet

New Aircraft Set to Join Hurricane Hunter Fle

60 MPH Gusts Blast the Great Plains, Storms Continue

60 MPH Gusts Blast the Great Plains, Storms C

June Weather Recap: Active Start to the Summer

June Weather Recap: Active Start to the Summe

EF-2 Tornado Confirmed in Rome, NY - More Across Atlantic Seaboard

EF-2 Tornado Confirmed in Rome, NY - More Acr