Morning Express with Robin Meade

It’s not yet June, but I want to treat the thermometer the way Snookie treats Italian police cruisers: I want to smash them up. The heat is back for the Mid Atlantic, S, and MW. Heat advisories are up for DC, Baltimore, and northern VA. It’ll feel like 100F-105F this afternoon when you take into account the humidity. The heat index will be in the upper 90s for Eastern MI today too, so you guys have the heat advisory also.

Cooler air is sliding into the Plains today, and the cold front in the lead will spark up more severe storms today. Check the map. Unlike yesterday (with 20 tornado reports in NE/SD) I think the main severe threat will be damaging straight-line winds and large hail. The timing looks like mid afternoon when the storms start to shoot up near Chicago and spread to Detroit by this evening. More updates and radar action on the show.

Joe Carter showed you some of this clip during "Morning Express with Robin Meade." Here's the full video of his amazing stunt (if you can make it past the helmet-cam shot at the top of the ramp... YIKES!).

*About a week after tornadoes ripped through Tuscaloosa, Alabama a message popped up in the @morn_eXpress twitter feed... it read: "@winnieawright: Turned down an internship with HLN and the Morning Express with Robin Meade so I can stay in Alabama and rebuild." Well, we couldn't just let that go. We contacted @winnieawright (real name: Winnie Wright) and asked if she'd keep us posted on Tuscaloosa. This is her second of 4 planned entries about how that community is recovering:

Alabama Head football Coach Nick Saban recently told a group of volunteers “In Tuscaloosa, we aren’t just a team on Saturdays.” After the tornado that ravaged much of the South a month ago, I have found this to be very true. The University of Alabama athletics department and their alum have really impressed me lately. Many former tide players have come back to Tuscaloosa, despite their busy schedules to help with relief efforts in our broken city.

*Bonnie Schneider is filling in for Bob Van Dillen who started his Memorial Day weekend early! He'll be back on Tuesday next week.

Memorial Day Weekend is the “unofficial” start of the summer season. As thousands of you head to the lake, the ocean, the river or bay of your choice, keep in mind that you can have fun and be safe too. The National Atmospheric and Oceanic Administration and the Safe Boating Council announce this week is “National Safe Boating Week”.

I want you to see yesterday's severe weather reports, and this is crazy (note the cluster over northern CA):

Storm Prediction Center report for 5/25

AJ is a floor director for HLN's "Morning Express with Robin Meade". She has been obsessed with this season of Idol, and takes notes to share with the Morning Express writers and producers. The opinions below are AJ’s alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of "Morning Express with Robin Meade" or HLN. For one last time this season... these are her impressions of last night:

American Idol winner Scott McCreery

AJ is a floor director for HLN's "Morning Express with Robin Meade". She has been obsessed with this season of Idol, and takes notes to share with the Morning Express writers and producers. The opinions below are AJ’s alone and do not necessarily reflect those of the staff of "Morning Express with Robin Meade" or HLN. These are her impressions of last night:

American Idol final two