Published December 5, 2022 6:41am EST

The Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather: Southern soaker to bring days of rain this week

Start your day with the latest weather news – a soaker in the South, a winter storm in the West, a Hawaii volcano, Orion on its way home, early sunsets and so-called 'climate migration.'

By Aaron Barker Source FOX Weather

Up to 6 inches of rain possible in week-long rainfall event across the South

Relentless rain will bring a multiday flash flood threat across the Tennessee Valley. FOX Weather Meteorologists Jason Frazer and Amy Freeze tell you what to expect as the first round of heavy rain moves across Tennessee, Mississippi and Alabama.

Welcome to the new Daily Weather Update from FOX Weather. It's Monday, Dec. 5, 2022, and there are only 26 days left in the year.

Start your day the right way with everything you need to know about today's weather. You can also get a quick briefing of national, regional and local weather whenever you like with the FOX Weather Update podcast.

Let’s begin with a pic of the sun over a snowy Yellowstone National Park from FOX Weather's Robert Ray taken last month. Want to be featured here? It’s easy to share your weather photos and videos with us. Email them to weather@fox.com or add the hashtag #FOXWeather to your post on your favorite social media platform.

Southern soaker poses multiday flash flood threat from eastern Oklahoma to Tennessee to Kentucky

Several rounds of rain are forecast in the South this week, and those could lead to a multiday threat of flash flooding in some places. The FOX Forecast Center is expecting as much as 5 inches of rain by Friday in a swath that stretches from eastern Oklahoma to Tennessee and Kentucky. Northern sections of Mississippi, Alabama and Georgia are also included in that swath.

Snow blankets parts of West after weekend storm system

Parts of the parched West have seen beneficial rain and snow over the last several days, but for some, it could be too much of a good thing. According to the FOX Forecast Center, as much as 5 inches of rain has already fallen in the Bay Area of California, and as much as 4 feet of snow has fallen in the Sierra Nevada. Another inch of rain is possible in the lower elevations of Northern and Central California through Monday, while another foot of snow is expected in the higher elevations.

Volcanic eruption threatens major highway in Hawaii

Officials said they may have to close down one of the main highways that connects two major cities on the Big Island of Hawaii because of the volcanic eruption that started last week. As of Sunday, lava was about 2 miles away from Hawaii Route 200, which sits in the boundary region that separates Mauna Loa and Mauna Kea and connects Hilo and Kona.

Lava from Mauna Loa volcano inching closer to major Hawaii highway

Hawaii's Mauna Loa volcano has now been erupting for a week. The lava flows continue to crawl closer to Hawaii Route 200, a major highway across the Big Island. FOX Weather correspondent Max Gorden reports the lava flow has slowed significantly.

Orion setting its sights on home

The Artemis 1 mission is in its final days. The Orion spacecraft, which NASA plans to use to send astronauts back to the moon, is headed home to Earth after setting a new distance record for a human-rated spacecraft. Monday, Orion will pass over the nearside of the moon and get some great views of the Apollo-era landing sites before another engine burn that will send the spaceship back home.

The view of Earth from NASA's Orion spacecraft from about 60,000 miles away as it begins the journey to the moon. (Image: NASA) ( )

A portion of the far side of the moon looms large just beyond the Orion spacecraft in this image taken on the sixth day of the Artemis I mission by a camera on the tip of one of Orion s solar arrays The spacecraft entered the lunar sphere of influence Sunday, Nov. 20 making the Moon instead of Earth the main gravitational force acting on the spacecraft. On Monday, Nov. 21, 2022 it came within 80 miles of the lunar surface the closest approach of the uncrewed Artemis I mission before moving into a distant retrograde orbit around the moon. (Image: NASA) ( )

Orion’s solar arrays split the difference between Earth and the Moon on flight day 14 of the Artemis I mission in this image captured by a camera on the tip of one of the spacecraft’s four solar arrays. (Image: NASA) ( )

On flight day 13, Orion continues to distance itself from Earth and the Moon, looking back on our home planet and lunar neighbor as the Moon prepares to eclipse the Earth as seen from Orion. ( )

On flight day 12 of the 25.5-day Artemis I mission, a camera on the tip of one of Orion’s solar arrays captured the Moon as Orion travels in distant retrograde orbit around the moon. (Image: NASA) ( )

On the sixth day of the Artemis I mission, Orion’s optical navigation camera captured black-and-white images of craters on the Moon below. Orion uses the optical navigation camera to capture imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances, providing an enhanced body of data to certify its effectiveness under different lighting conditions as a way to help orient the spacecraft on future missions with crew. (Image: NASA) ( )

On the sixth day of the Artemis I mission, Orion’s optical navigation camera captured black-and-white images of craters on the Moon below. Orion uses the optical navigation camera to capture imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances, providing an enhanced body of data to certify its effectiveness under different lighting conditions as a way to help orient the spacecraft on future missions with crew. (Image: NASA) ( )

On the sixth day of the Artemis I mission, Orion’s optical navigation camera captured black-and-white images of craters on the Moon below. Orion uses the optical navigation camera to capture imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances, providing an enhanced body of data to certify its effectiveness under different lighting conditions as a way to help orient the spacecraft on future missions with crew. (Image: NASA) ( )

On the sixth day of the Artemis I mission, Orion’s optical navigation camera captured black-and-white images of craters on the Moon below. Orion uses the optical navigation camera to capture imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances, providing an enhanced body of data to certify its effectiveness under different lighting conditions as a way to help orient the spacecraft on future missions with crew. (Image: NASA) ( )

On the sixth day of the Artemis I mission, Orion’s optical navigation camera captured black-and-white images of craters on the Moon below. Orion uses the optical navigation camera to capture imagery of the Earth and the Moon at different phases and distances, providing an enhanced body of data to certify its effectiveness under different lighting conditions as a way to help orient the spacecraft on future missions with crew. (Image: NASA) ( )

A view of the Orion solar arrays and the moon during the Artemis 1 mission on Nov. 22, 2022. (Image: NASA) ( )

NASA's Orion spacecraft takes a "selfie" with the moon on Nov. 21, 2022 during the Artemis 1 test flight. (Image: NASA) ( )

The moon as seen by NASA's Orion spacecraft on approach for a lunar flyby on Nov. 21, 2022 during the Artemis 1 test flight. (Image: NASA) ( )

NASA's manikin named Campos seen inside the Orion spacecraft wearing the same suit NASA astronauts will wear on the journey to the moon. Orion launched on the SLS rocket at 1:47 a.m. on Nov. 16, 2022. (Image: NASA) ( )

Engineers activated the Callisto payload, Lockheed Martin’s technology demonstration in collaboration with Amazon and Cisco on the Orion spacecraft. Callisto will test voice-activated and video technology that may assist future astronauts on deep space missions. (Image: NASA) ( )

Earliest sunsets of the year are happening

If it feels like you've been turning on the lights earlier over the past few days, you're not imagining things. The earliest sunsets of the year are taking place across the U.S., which don't always coincide with the solstice as we've always been taught. It has to do not only with the non-circular orbit of Earth around the sun but also with the shape of the Earth itself. We've got an explanation in this handy-dandy article.

A colorful sunset is seen at the National Weather Service office in Caribou, Maine, on Nov. 9, 2022. (@NWSCaribou / Twitter)

More Americans base living decisions on extreme weather

It's been a disastrous year for some Americans who have been walloped by hurricanes and tornadoes. Others have had their homes flooded or even washed away. This leads to billions in losses, and has prompted some people find a new place to live. It's a phenomenon known as "climate migration," and it's becoming more prevalent.

"People move for a lot of different reasons. They move because of better job opportunities. They move better schools, be closer to family," said Jesse Keenan, professor of sustainable real estate at Tulane University. "We now know that climate and extreme weather are one of these many factors that are shaping where people live and how they want to invest in future communities."

Climate migrants: Extreme weather impacting where people choose to live

Extreme weather increasingly factors into where Americans move. Tulane University's Jesse Keenan talks about climate migrants.

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