Chris Tomer

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The Pineapple Express is sending waves of heavy snow into Wyoming, Idaho, and Montana. There are two additional storm systems through 2/9.What is the Pineapple Express? It's also known as an Atmospheric River (AR). Rich atmospheric moisture (from near Hawaii) gets picked up by the jet stream and then entrained into storm systems before being delivered to the West Coast.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Tomer humidity AR 222025-1738527110672.jpg">Watch the timing:<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/TOMER ROCKIES FUTURECAST 222025-1738526429829.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Feet of total accumulation is likely across the mountains of Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana.Here are a few highlights:<ul><li>Sun Valley, ID: 24-36 inches</li><li>Jackson Hole, WY: 24-36 inches</li><li>Grand Targhee, WY: 24-36 inches</li><li>Big Sky, MT: 18-24"</li><li>Bridger Bowl, MT: 18-24"</li><li>Wind River Range, WY: 36-48 inches</li><li>Discovery, MT: 12-15"</li><li>Brundage, ID: 24-36 inches</li></ul><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/TOMERROCKIESSNOWFORECASTWYMTIDjpg-1738527419895.jpeg">

Heavy Snow Accumulation for Wyoming, Idaho & Montana through 2/9

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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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Ready for spring? Our groundhog friend isn't.Related: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/punxsatawney-phil-expecting-6-more-weeks-of-winter#google_vignette">Phil Predicts Six More Weeks of Winter</a>If not, get ready for spring-like temps! The jet stream is heading back to the north through next week, allowing two large high-pressure systems to build around the southern tier of the country, bringing temperatures up to more than 20° above average!<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/2025-02-01 05-46-00-1738413984270.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Record high temperatures will be widespread from Sunday to Thursday, initially focused in the Southwest and Southern Plains, before spreading to the East Coast. Many record-warm overnight temperatures are expected as well.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-01 054815-1738414117806.png">Highs in the Southwest will approach or surpass the 80s in the lower deserts (Sonoran), even in Las Vegas (Mojave desert - higher elevation) the mercury will approach 80° by Monday. Denver is expected to see multiple days with temperatures 20°+ above average!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-01 054808-1738414101392.png">The Southern Plains and western Gulf Coast will have many records challenged through the week ahead, especially in the first half. Highs on Monday will be 10-20°+ above average!<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-01 054752-1738414110461.png">The Southeast will also be feeling the unseasonable warmth. Many records are expected to fall from Tuesday into the weekend. Temperatures are expected to be 10-20°+ above average.

Jackie Brown

Record Warmth Rolls in for Many This Week

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Tracey Anthony

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A moderate to extreme intensity surge of atmospheric river (AR) moisture will continue to unleash heavy precipitation in California. Another AR will approach the region toward the middle of the week with lower snow levels and widespread rainfall. What is an AR surge? It's extra moisture that is funneled into storm systems often making them wetter. AR events can generate flash flooding, mudslides, and feet of high mountain snowfall accumulation. The atmospheric river is sometimes referred to as the 'Pineapple Express' as it brings air from near the tropics (Hawaii) into the mid-latitudes.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/web 8-1738499308912.png">Hazardous impacts are expected when the AR intensity gets up to strong or higher. Flash flooding and wind are expected to cause issues. As for Sunday, the AR intensity value is 3 across the area.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/2025-02-02 06-36-05-1738496245799.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Rainfall totals will add up over the next seven days as multiple rounds of rain move in. Some locations in California have picked up 4-5 inches of rain already.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 093119-1738513931403.jpg">Areas along and north of I-80 can expect the heaviest precipitation, including heavy snow in the mountains.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-01 052803-1738413432288.png">Winter storm watches have now been issued for parts of the Sierra and the Great Basin for the heavy snow that continues into early this week.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Web 6-1738497336743.png">Here are a few highlights, grand totals through February 6th:<ul><li>Mount Shasta: 50-70"</li><li>Kirkwood: 50"</li><li>Palisades Tahoe: 36"</li><li>Mammoth Mountain: 36"</li></ul><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 093421-1738514069816.jpg"><h1>Timing</h1>As an area of low pressure lingers round after round of rain and snow will persist in Northern California and Nevada. Moisture starts to drop south by Tuesday and cities like Santa Barbara can see rain chances increase.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/111ss-1738526800297.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Tune into WeatherNation at :50 past the hour for your West Regional Update.

"Pineapple Express" Takes Aim at Northern California

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A pattern change for the West has taken shape. This weekend, moisture moved in from Hawaii courtesy of an atmospheric river aka the Pineapple Express. Atmospheric rivers transport water vapor outside of the tropics and can lead to heavy precipitation. On top of the moisture coming to the region, a powerful jet stream and trough of low pressure will deliver 1-2 storm systems, colder air, and heavy rain/snow accumulation. Lower elevations cities like Seattle could see over two inches of rainfall. <video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/gfdddd-1738467384375.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Snow totals this far:<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Web 1-1738495252478.png">Check out the latest forecast for snowfall by the time Tuesday rolls around. Some higher elevations can see upwards of 3 plus feet of snow! <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-01 070946-1738419000693.png">Heavy snow on top of a weaker layer could lead to avalanche concerns.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 100704-1738516041243.jpg">Let's look at the full first week of February. The 6-10 day precipitation forecast indicates confidence in above-normal total precipitation.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-01 071011-1738419031166.png">Tune into WeatherNation for the latest updates.

Feet of New Snow Hits the Pacific Northwest This Weekend

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Kevin Schneider

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Everyone was eagerly awaiting the results as Phil emerged from his slumber this morning. Just before 7:30 AM ET he made his announcement: more winter! How surprising was it? Given the cloud cover present, it was a little surprising. Given the record warm temperatures expected this week, very surprising.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/SOT_TRT 0.15_RNE_PUNXSUTAWNEY, PA_READING THE SCROLL TO SEE IF PHIL SAW HIS SHADOW_VISITPA-1738514178256.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>Related article: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/record-warmth-for-southern-cities">Record Warm Expected This Week</a>As the sun poked through the clouds this morning, Phil noticed his shadow, which sent him back into his den for 6 more weeks of Winter.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 052737-1738499637408.jpg">Given Phil's recent track record? This doesn't come as much of a surprise. At a 5:1 clip, he's seen his shadow far more often than not, expecting winter to persist.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 053425-1738499727126.jpg">How accurate is the rodent? Not great. Of the past 10 years, he's verified the forecast just 3 times, falling in line with his roughly 40% accuracy for his lifetime.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 053709-1738499835683.jpg">According to the Climate Prediction Center, most of us will look at or above average for the month of February. We'll see what happens over the next few weeks<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 053643-1738499876232.jpg">

Alana Cameron

Punxsutawney Phil Expecting 6 More Weeks of Winter

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The West Coast is getting off to a hectic start to the week. The same energy that is prompting the heavy rain and snow will cross the Rockies later this week. What happens from there? It's still a little murky...Related: <a target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer nofollow" href="https://www.weathernationtv.com/news/atmospheric-river-makes-an-appearance-this-weekend">Pineapple Express Roars Onshore</a>Starting with what we know, temperatures will be warm for many of us. That already has us thinking in a different direction than we normally are in the beginning of February. Could we have enough energy to work with from a severe aspect? The Storm Prediction Center that tries to sniff out severe weather setups a few days in advance even mentioning Sunday morning:<blockquote> "given what appears to be a pattern of inherently low predictability, delineating areas of severe-weather potential would appear imprudent." </blockquote><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 102428-1738517169501.jpg">These impulses are fairly weak. Meaning that might not have enough kick to start robust thunderstorm activity. It also means that they could time up with better ingredients a little easier - models don't handle weak waves quite as well as strong ones. This falls under a check back forecast. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 102527-1738517391075.jpg">Perhaps the more interesting signal comes when the moisture moves far enough north to find freezing temperatures. It would make sense that as warm as it will be this week it will take some time to cool off. Meaning the rest of the atmosphere will take some time as well. That process happens slower at higher levels of the atmosphere. If a warm nose is still present while surface temperatures reach the freezing mark, that would point to freezing rain.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 102514-1738517444828.jpg">Does this mean a major ice storm is coming to the Great Lakes and Northeast later this week? NO. Does it bear watching? ABSOLUTELY. Here's how one model has the late week playing out. <video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/2025-02-02 10-25-46-1738517626801.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video>So what should you do? Just keep it here with WeatherNation as we iron out the details of this unsettled weather later this week. It's too soon to know one way or another.

LOOKING  AHEAD: Storms vs Ice Chances This Week

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A pair of low-pressure systems will keep the country's northern tier under the threat of snow, wind, and cold temperatures. Areas across the Upper Midwest and Northern New England are expecting light to moderate snow, though some models have been trending toward a few areas of heavy snow and the potential of freezing rain for the windy city.<h2>Alerts and Timing</h2>Snow reports are coming in nearly 6" for spots in northeastern Minnesota. <img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 100930-1738516182223.jpg">Winter alerts have been issued around western Lake Superior through Sunday for heavy snow and gusty winds. Issues across Minnesota and Wisconsin will remain in place through midday Sunday, and South Dakota's winter Weather Advisory is for the second system that will bring impacts later today.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-02 100809-1738516104119.jpg">Snow will come in two waves - along the warm front and with a trailing low-pressure system within a stationary boundary. Areas around the Great Lakes will see snow continue into Sunday morning, where it will gradually clear Michigan by midday. The warm front snow will then track across New York and New England Sunday afternoon and evening.<video src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Baron 2-1738467113199.mp4" controls="true" width="100%"></video><h3>Round 1:</h3><img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Web 4-1738495816476.png"><h3>Round 2:</h3>New England will be hit with snow by Sunday evening and they will brace for round two into Monday.<img src="https://media.weathernationtv.com/app/uploads/2025/02/Screenshot 2025-02-01 111148-1738433608386.png">Snow in New York and New England is expected to be lighter, for most, but heavier in the mountains and in northern Maine. Areas east of Lake Ontario into the mountains of northern New York and New England could see 3-6 inches, while areas in northern Maine could surpass a foot.

Snow Chances Continue for the Midwest and Northeast

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Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow this morning is calling for six more weeks of Winter.

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Six More Weeks of Winter According to Phil

Heavy Snow Accumulation for Wyoming, Idaho & Montana through 2/9

The Pineapple Express is sending waves of hea

Record Warmth Rolls in for Many This Week

Ready for spring? Our groundhog friend isn't.

"Pineapple Express" Takes Aim at Northern California

A moderate to extreme intensity surge of atmo

Feet of New Snow Hits the Pacific Northwest This Weekend

A pattern change for the West has taken shape

Punxsutawney Phil Expecting 6 More Weeks of Winter

Everyone was eagerly awaiting the results as

LOOKING AHEAD: Storms vs Ice Chances This Week

The West Coast is getting off to a hectic sta

Snow Chances Continue for the Midwest and Northeast

A pair of low-pressure systems will keep the