Janessa Webb

Nationally recognized Meteorologist Janessa Webb brings her passion for weather and storytelling to the WCCB Charlotte WeatherWise team, where she delivers accurate and engaging forecasts every weekday evening at 9 and 10 p.m.

Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, Janessa’s passion for extreme weather began at an early age and has guided her through an extensive career in both national and local television. She returned to North Carolina after nearly four years in Washington, D.C., where she built a weather department from the ground up and served as Chief Meteorologist for several leading broadcasts.

Before that, Janessa was a Meteorologist for NBC News and MSNBC in New York City, appearing on programs such as Early Today, Morning Joe, NBC Nightly News, and The 11th Hour with Brian Williams. She also filled in for Al Roker on TODAY and previously served as a weekday meteorologist for WEWS-TV in Cleveland, Ohio. Webb spent her early years as a meteorologist in Anchorage, Alaska, at KYUR and KTVA for nearly nine years. She graduated from East Anchorage High School prior to studying at Winston-Salem State University and Mississippi State University.

Webb is a member of the National Weather Association, The American Meteorological Society, the National Association of Black Journalists. Webb has served as a mentor to young journalists throughout her career and believes strongly in giving back to the community.

When Webb isn’t tracking the weather, her faith and family remain the center of her life and foundation. She also has a passion for teaching and is a certified hot yoga instructor and personal trainer, she embraces an active lifestyle and loves a good adventure.

Articles

60s tomorrow before a major winter storm

Weekend Winter Storm: Long duration event of sleet and ice This storm has a lot going on, and not all of the details are locked in yet. What is clear is that everyone in the area should expect some level of disruption. Freezing rain and sleet could build up on trees and power lines, raising the risk for outages that may be widespread. Roads are also likely to deteriorate quickly, with slick, icy surfaces making travel difficult or even impossible in some spots.

Wednesday warm-up and tracking a winter storm

Wednesday starts cold once again, with morning temperatures in the lower 20s. Despite the chilly start, sunshine will allow the atmosphere to warm-up, pushing afternoon highs to around 50°. This warming is driven by high pressure moving overhead, which brings clear skies and calm conditions.

Clear and cold Tuesday with a slight warming mid-week

Winter is definitely making itself known this week. Cold air will be in control for the next several days, with temperatures staying well below what we normally see in January until about midweek. The good news, we’ll have plenty of sunshine, so while it’ll be cold, the days will look bright and even feel pretty nice if you’re bundled up. Tonight, will remain clear and cold, and a good night to go check out the aurora as a big geomagnetic storm is expected after 11pm and into tomorrow morning.

Strongest solar radiation storm in 20 Years hits Earth; aurora borealis possible in NC tonight

The largest solar radiation storm in more than 20 years hits Earth, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s Space Weather Prediction Center. This will be the second-strongest level issued by NOAA for geomagnetic storms. The concern tonight is a severe geomagnetic storm of this magnitude can potentially affect the Earth’s power grids, satellites, and aircraft data.

Warmer Saturday with more cold on the way

Saturday starts with a weak front sliding through our region. The big thing to know here is moisture is lacking, so most of the rain struggles to survive as it moves east. The mountains may squeeze out a little accumulation, but around Charlotte Metro and areas east, it’s mainly a cloudy start with perhaps a few spotty drops that never really amount to much.

Dangerous cold to start Friday before a slight warm-up

Friday looks quiet but remains cold. Skies stay sunny to mostly sunny, which helps temperatures reach the upper 40s by the afternoon. Even with the sunshine, it won’t feel comfortable with wind chills in the 30s, so its still layers are your friend weather.

Snow, wind and bitter cold arrive

Tonight, as snow moves into the mountains, strong winds will quickly follow behind this powerful cold front. A Wind Advisory is in effect for the High Country from tonight through Thursday. Wind gusts could reach 45 to 60 mph, strong enough to cause minor tree damage and isolated power outages

One more day of seasonable air before changes move in

Our attention then turns to Wednesday, when colder air and a storm system move in. Snow is expected to begin Wednesday afternoon in the highest mountain elevations along the Tennessee border. The most meaningful snowfall and travel impacts will stay mainly above 3,500 feet, while mountain valleys and nearby cities may see little to no accumulation.

Sunshine and warmer Tuesday

The chill is short lived with highs climbing back into the mid to upper 50s Tuesday, with overnight lows a little warmer Tuesday night. The air east of the mountains is super dry, around 25 to 30 percent humidity, with light winds keeping fire risk high. By Tuesday afternoon, humidity will creep up a little as southwest winds bring in some moisture, but overall it’s still pretty calm.

Tracking Rain and a Few Storms Saturday

Heaviest Rain in the Mountains The steadiest and heaviest rain will fall across the mountains, with these areas seeing 1 to 2 inches of rain, with a few isolated spots pushing closer to 3 inches. Even with those higher totals, flooding concerns remain low since the region has been very dry recently. Outside of the mountains, rainfall amounts will generally range from about a half inch to one inch. Any Severe Weather? While the atmosphere will have strong winds, there won’t be much energy near the ground to support widespread severe storms. Because of that, most storms should stay below severe limits. One isolated stronger storm can’t be ruled out, mainly along and south of the I-85 corridor, where a little more instability may develop. All in all, severe weather is not expected to be widespread or long-lasting. Showers will taper off fairly quickly Saturday evening as the cold front moves east of the area.