This week's "Breakthrough Woman" is Olivia Bouler. Olivia is an artist who at just 11-years-old has raised $200,000 to help wildlife affected by the gulf oil spill. Her paintings will soon be available in a book! For more information on Olivia, including the opportunity to buy some of her work, visit her Aol. Artist Page.

Meet all of our Morning Express "Breakthrough Women."

Nominate a Breakthrough Woman yourself at iReport.com.

Filed under: Breakthrough Women

Just polished off the last of the Thanksgiving leftovers, with a stuffing sandwich this morning. Carb it out, baby.

Anyway, I’m watching a potent storm develop across the central Plains and MW today. Heavy snow is falling in the upper MW and northern Plains, with winter storm warnings all around the area. 6-12” for northern MN and the like today, I’ll have those warnings for you on the show. It’s all heavy rain ahead of this storm, with 2-3” in store for the mid MS Valley. Severe storms will initiate this evening and tonight in LA, MS and AL. Tornadoes may form in that area, late today. I’ll have that area in detail too.

The west coast is bracing for more snow, mainly in the mountains of WA and OR. That slides in tonight and tomorrow. The east coast is wedged in with a high pressure region, but that actually means a cooler day and clouds for the SE. Even central Fl is seeing rain this morning, something they desperately need. I’ll have the radar and a look at the air travel delays on the big show.

Later!

Posted by: Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen
Filed under: Rain • Snow • Tornado • Weather

Sure, you could wait in line all night to get that great Black Friday deal on the perfect present... but some things you just can't buy. An experience like these shoppers got is one of those priceless gifts!

If you loved this as much as we did, please visit the original YouTube page and leave a note. Be sure to tell them you saw this Viral Video of the Day on HLN's Morning Express with Robin Meade.

Filed under: Viral Video of the Day • YouTube

*Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider is filling in for Bob Van Dillen today

If you’re up early to rush out for the big sales today, be sure to slow down on the way there if you’re in an area that may have black ice on the roads. Black ice is a thin layer of transparent ice that coats the roads, making them look wet and shiny but not necessarily frozen over. It’s very tough to see while driving, and even a small patch of black ice can cause your car to lose control.

The past few days brought snow and freezing rain to many places across the country. That means the moisture and cold air is already in place for black ice to form on this busy Friday after Thanksgiving. More freezing rain and snow is in the forecast today for much of the northern tier of the U.S.

Here are some black ice driving safety tips from Minnesota Department of Transportation:
• Be aware that black ice is almost invisible.
• Be especially careful on bridges, overpasses and tunnels and in early morning when the air temperature is rising faster than the pavement temperature.
• Never brake while driving on ice. Applying pressure to your brakes while on ice will cause a vehicle to skid. Brake only during your approach.
• Keep your distance. The distance needed to stop on ice is twice as long as under normal driving circumstances. Keep at least a three-car distance from the vehicle directly in front of you.

Have a safe journey and happy shopping!

Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider
• Twitter: @BonnieWeather
• Facebook

Posted by: Meteorologist Bonnie Schneider
Filed under: Black ice • Freezing rain • Snow • Weather

It’s one of the busiest travel days of the year, so how is the weather shaking out? Poorly, I’m afraid. Here’s the deal: there is one big storm that is rolling off the Rockies and into the Central Plains today. This is spreading heavy rain into the MW and it is changing over to wintry weather in the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Winter weather advisories are posted from MT to WI with a few winter storm warnings thrown in to boot. Blizzard warnings are still up on the back side of the storm, over UT and CO. I’ll show you where all the winter-like trouble spots are.

It’s all rain on the East side of the storm, and it will be heavy. 3-4” of it falls today over parts of MO, IN and OH. There are flood watches up for the area. A thick fog has set up over the SE, so delays right off the bat for Atlanta, and the wind will be howling in New England. Wind advisories are up as a storm moves away and a High pressure area builds in. 45 mph gusts in Boston, so a 3 bagger flying on the BVD yak scale (out of 4).

“So aside from that Mrs. Lincoln, how was the play?” Yeah, I’m full of bad news, sorry about that. It’s a huge volume day for airports and the weather will be a detriment. I’ll have all the travel delay information, early and often on the show. See you out there.

Posted by: Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen
Filed under: Blizzard • Flood • Fog • High winds • Rain • Severe Weather • Weather • Winter Weather Advisory

Just like a TSA agent, the weather has its icy grip on a few parts of the country. The strong cold front that produced the tornadoes in IL and WI yesterday is stretching out through the MW, with a heavy stripe of rain and thunder from NY to AR. The severe weather has ended, but the rain and wind will hold you back in a lot of areas in the East. I’ll have the latest radar shots plus the latest airport delays due to the foul weather rolling by.

A very dynamic storm is cruising through the West right now as well. There are a ton of Winter storm warnings for the West and Rockies, plus a blizzard warning for Salt Lake City and a huge chunk of UT. I’ll have the latest warnings and snow projections too. The West storm will chug into the Plains overnight tonight and start spreading more rain and snow into the middle of the country. You can bet air travel will be affected tomorrow too, so you can watch us for the latest details on your Thanksgiving travel.

Posted by: Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen
Filed under: Blizzard • Snow • Tornado • Weather • Winter Storm Warning

This video has been watched NINE MILLION times! WOW! Talk about the power of Reggae!

Filed under: Viral Video of the Day • YouTube

Ahh yeah, my favorite week of the year. I dug out my wife’s old maternity pants (you know, the one with the front stretchy-panel) for Thanksgiving Day dining a little early, but I just can’t wait. I know this is a big travel week too, so here is what Monday is shaping up like: rough.

There are two storms I’m watching, one over the MW and one moving into the NW. There is a good shield of rain and thunder over IN, IL, MI, and OH right now. As the rain falls into cooler air, it is a wintry mix in northern New England right now. Advisories are up for sleet and snow in ME right now.

The rain is also starting to turn into freezing rain pockets over MN, with snow heavy at times over the Dakotas. I’ll show you that business. I expect airport delays all around the MW today, so be prepared.

The second storm is over the NW right now, and there are winter storm warnings and advisories all over the Rockies and NW. It will start rocking again later today as more energy pools in off the Pacific, so snow will even be felt in Seattle today. I’ll have the latest on the travel conditions there as well, b/c it doesn’t look good. See ya out there!

Posted by: Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen
Filed under: Rain • Severe Weather • Snow • Weather • Winter Storm Warning • Winter Weather Advisory

Get ready for more early season snow in the West. There have been a series of storms rolling into the West Coast/Rockies all week, and that trend continues through the weekend. There are winter storm warnings/advisories all over the place through Sunday, and I’ll show you where. Thanksgiving skiing will absolutely rock in CO, UT, ID, and CA.

There’s also a weak clipper-type storm headed through the upper MW this morning. This has very little moisture associated with it, but the wind will be stiff around the MW and Great Lakes. Probably catch a short delay out of Chicago this afternoon with 30 mph winds in place.

The NE looks all right, but there is some light lake effect snow in NYS. My old places of employ are getting some snow early (Utica, Syracuse) but it won’t amount to much. Just like my on-air career up there. Whadya gunna do.

The Southern half of the nation is just plain quiet, as the jet stream has vacated the place quicker than my Brother-In-Law can reach the restroom when the check comes.

Hey- big night tonight in Atlanta. If you are in town, why don’t you come out and hang with me at Ri Ra Irish Pub? It’s for a great cause, the Crohn’s and colitis Foundation of America. More details to follow, or catch the old links. I’d love to meet you guys!

Posted by: Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen
Filed under: Crohn's and colitis Foundation of America • High winds • Weather • Winter Storm Warning • Winter Weather Advisory

Friday, November 19 – Noon to 1:30 p.m. – At the CNN Store in Atlanta

The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities

CNN's Soledad O'Brien will be at the CNN Store in Atlanta this Friday, November 19 to sign copies of her new book, The Next Big Story: My Journey Through the Land of Possibilities.

"Story is our medium. It's how we connect emotionally with our viewers. And it's how we make sense of our world...When we talk about a 'big story,' we're really talking about what resonates with people, what matters to them...And I think when it comes to our national narrative, what we need to realize is that we're all contributing to the story, that we can affect where this country is going."

From top CNN anchor and special correspondent Soledad O'Brien comes a highly personal look at her biggest reporting moments from Hurricane Katrina, the tsunami in Southeast Asia, the devastating Haiti earthquake to the historic elections and high profile interviews with everyday Americans. Drawing on her own unique background and consciousness as well as her experiences as a journalist at the front lines of the most provocative issues in today's society-and particularly from her work as host of the acclaimed series Black in America and Latino in America – O'Brien offers her candid, clear-eyed take on where we are as a country and where we're going.

What emerges is both an inspiring message of hope and a glimpse into the heart and soul of one of America's most straight-talking reporters.

Filed under: Extras