TS Arlene made landfall early this morning near Cabo Rojo, Mexico with 65 mph winds. That's a strong tropical storm, and some of that rain is making it into South TX. Any rain the Lone Star State gets is welcome, with that ongoing drought there.

Other than that, there aren't many huge rainmakers for today. The dominant weather feature is a growing region of high pressure over the South and MW. Under this sinking air, the temps. are going to boil. Heat advisories and warnings extend from MN and the Dakotas all the way down to OK this afternoon, with a heat index between 100 and 110 for a few hours this afternoon. That heat gradually edges to the East, and the warm air will spread to the coast by the 4th of July. I'll show you the warned areas.

There is a cold front draped over the Rockies that will generate some afternoon storms, and some will turn severe with that hot/humid air ahead of it. Check out the map.

I think air travel will be great for this time of year, with only a few possible storm delays in FL and wind in Denver. That’s unless JFK turns into a turtle orgy on the tarmac again this afternoon.

*Follow "Morning Express with Robin Meade" meteorologist Bob Van Dillen on Twitter: @BobVanDillen

Posted by: Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen
Filed under: tropical storm • Weather

Gooooooood Morning! Allow me to thrill you with some sports!

Charlie Sheen took steroids to prepare for his role as a pitcher in the movie Major League!! Sheen tells si.com that the steroids made his fastball faster... and his mood a little edgier. Sheen admits he didn't experience full-on rood rage because he claims he didn't take enough of the performance enhancing drug... But he did stay on steroids for about 8 weeks while filming. He says it's the only time he's ever taken THAT drug.

This could be a good sign that the NFL Lockout may be finally ending... After traveling to Florida together, NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell and NFL Player Rep DeMaurice Smith shared perhaps the most important breakfast in the history of football Wednesday... as far as the fans are concerned! Goodell and Smith, who have not been too cordial since the NFL Lockout began over 3 and a half months ago, both spoke to the NFL's newest players at a Rookie Symposium.

Yesterday at Wimbledon, Roger Federer did something he's never done in a Grand Slam tournament: he choked. Federer was undefeated in Grand Slam play when he jumped out to an early 2 set lead... Federer took that kind of lead 178 times... and 178 times he won the match... Until yesterday!! France's Jo Wilfried Tsonga staged a once-in-a-lifetime comeback, beating Federer in 5 sets, stopping Federer’s bid for his 7th Wimbledon title.

The city of Pittsburgh is hosting a rally today in honor of wide receiver Hines Ward's victory on "Dancing with the Stars" last month. The Mayor of Pittsburgh says he decided to hold the event after Steelers fans flooded his office with phone calls "asking for the city to properly thank our hometown hero." Ward's dancing partner Kym Johnson will also be at the celebration... So the Steelers lost the Super Bowl, but they got the "mirror ball trophy" instead! Let's dance!

Thanks so much for making Morning Express with Robin Meade part of your day!

You can follow "Morning Express with Robin Meade" sports anchor Carlos Diaz on Twitter: @CarlosHLN

Posted by: Sports Anchor Carlos Diaz
Filed under: Baseball • NFL • Roger Federer • Roger Goodell • Sports • Tennis • Wimbledon

Tropical Storm Arlene has formed over the Bay of Campeche, in the southern Gulf of Mexico. As of the 5 am update, she had winds around 40 mph. The center is moving to the WNW around 8 mph, so it should blow into the Mexican coast early tomorrow morning. I think south TX will get some rain out of this, but not much. Brownsville may see a ½” at the most, but hopefully that changes. TX needs rain! By the way, Arlene was the first named storm of the 2005 season as well, since the list of names gets repeated every 6 years (unless it does major damage, or creates massive loss of life, such as Katrina- then the name gets retired from the list).

Other than the tropical action, heat will be a big story today. The storms that are firing in OK should fall apart later this morning, and then it’s a return to hot temps. It’ll feel like 105 today in NW OK, and even hotter tomorrow for other MW states…I’ll have that forecast on the show.

Rain is moving away from the East Coast right now, but some wind may produce short delays in the NYC area for flights.

FL is the exception today. More beneficial rain is in store for the Sunshine State, and it’s already appearing on my radar. Full updates on the show.

As for the NM/TX/AZ fire weather – looks like more wind and warm temps. for today. Wind advisories in NV and UT too, with gusts to 45 mph in Las Vegas and 55 mph in Salt Lake City. Dry thunderstorms will develop in AZ this afternoon, so look for some blowing dust and hot temps near Phoenix.

Rain is falling in CA and NV now, and some showers will edge to the NW too. I’ll have the updates.

I’ll tweet the update on Arlene this morning too. I know I’m late on the whole twitter thing, but at least I beat out the Pope!

Filed under: Fire • Heat • Rain • tropical storm • Weather

Happy Hump Day all of you Robin Meade fans!! Let’s talk sports!

USA!! USA!! The American Women’s Soccer Team got a big win yesterday in their first World Cup match. It was like a collective sigh of relief to get through that first game with a victory. The American women said it themselves… that they were stumbling into World Cup with inconsistent play… But yesterday’s 2-0 win over North Korea is a huge shot of confidence. Lauren Cheney used her head for the Americans' first goal… Rachel Buller added some insurance later… And the women will have some support from the White House in their next match… President Obama has announced that a Presidential Delegation will attend the women’s next World Cup match on Saturday against Columbia in Germany.

Tiger Woods hasn’t hit a golf ball in more than a month and a half, and although he says his leg is feeling healthier, he claims he has no timetable from when he is going to return to the PGA Tour, but it WILL be this year. A bearded Tiger said at a press conference at the AT&T National, which he’s not playing in, but is attending, that he won’t play in next month’s British Open unless he’s healthy enough to win it… and he did make this somewhat stunning admission: that 22-year-old golf phenom Rory McIlroy has a better golf swing than he did when he was that age!

Maria Sharapova, the biggest name left on the women’s side in Wimbledon, moved on yesterday with another rather loud win… Sharapova’s deafening grunting on the court has made as many headlines as her amazing play… Her grunts have registered 105 decibels, which is almost as loud as a jack-hammer or a power saw. And now Slate Magazine has an internet game which allows you to match the grunt with the player.

The Los Angeles Dodgers will make payroll tomorrow. A judge has authorized the Dodgers to enter into a 150 million dollar bankruptcy agreement so cash-strapped owner Frank McCourt can pay his players and his creditors. This as sources say Major League Baseball is inching closer and closer to seizing control of the Dodgers franchise, which is in a financial mess as McCourt goes through an ugly divorce. Meantime, Dodger fans have started a campaign called "Own the Dodgers." They want the Commissioner of Baseball to sell public shares of the Dodgers to the people of LA… much like the Packers are owned by the people of Green Bay.

T.O. is not going anywhere!! NFL bad-boy receiver Terrell Owens did have reconstructive surgery on his left ACL less than 3 months ago, surgery that many experts said would keep the 37 year-old off the football field for a year… if not forever… But T.O.’s agent says the retirement talk is nonsense, and that Owens will be playing in the NFL at the start of this season… if the NFL Lockout is settled before the start of this season.

The makers of Amstel Light are looking for the lone Boston Bruin hockey player who ordered the only Amstel Light as the team celebrated its Stanley Cup victory. The Bruins posted a huge bar tab at a Stanley Cup celebration that included 136 Bud Lights… and 1 Amstel Light. Now the Dutch brewing company says if the Bruin who order the Amstel Light steps up and identifies himself, they will give him all the Amstel Light he can drink for a day… in their words, recognizing him for making a great decision.

That’s all I’ve got… See you on TV!

*Follow "Morning Express with Robin Meade" sports anchor Carlos Diaz on twitter: @CarlosHLN

Posted by: Sports Anchor Carlos Diaz
Filed under: Baseball • Golf • MLB • NFL • NHL • Soccer • Sports • Tennis • Tiger Woods • Wimbledon • World Cup

Happy Tuesday! Good to be back from a long weekend!

Los Angeles Dodgers owner Frank McCourt – Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images

L.A. Dodgers owner Frank McCourt has filed for bankruptcy protection, a move some are calling one of the darkest moments in the history of this famous baseball team. McCourt hopes this move will buy him time to make payroll. McCourt owes millions of dollars in payroll this Thursday, and he hopes he can convince a bankruptcy judge that he can raise those millions in the next 2 days. If McCourt doesn’t raise the cash, the bankruptcy judge could take over, and in order to make sure everyone gets paid, the court could sell the Dodgers to the highest bidder. What probably will happen? Major League Baseball will probably step in and say, "OK, you filed for Bankruptcy, so we're going to take over the Dodgers & WE will pay all the people owed money." As far as on the field, Dodgers manager Don Mattingly doesn’t think the team's financial problems are going to affect how each Dodger performs at the plate... and it looks like he’s right... the Dodgers beat the Twins last night 15-0! There will be more news breaking on this story later today after the bankruptcy hearing.

The #1 seeded woman at Wimbledon and both Williams sisters... ALL OUT!! All in the same day!! A tough day for the most famous women at Wimbledon... For the first time since 2006, we will have a Williams-less Wimbledon Final. Both Serena and Venus lost in straight sets on Monday. Serena went down in the morning, Venus fell in the afternoon. Both sisters came into Wimbledon recovering from injuries... Serena recovering from foot surgery and blood clots in her lungs, while Venus has a bad hip. Sandwiched between the Williams' losses, #1 seeded Caroline Wozinacki also got knocked out... the third year in a row she got ousted in the fourth round.

Prince William and Duchess Catherine were on hand to watch British favorite Andy Murray win... Murray said if he knew the royal couple was coming he would have shaved. But Murray is not pleased with his mom after she Tweeted that rival tennis player Feliciano Lopez is "Deliciano" because he’s so hot... Murray, who may have to face "Deliciano" Lopez called his mom’s Tweet "disgusting," adding, it "makes me want to throw up."

And you've got to see an amazing first pitch last night in San Diego... A Cirque du Soleil performer has the best wind up EVER, doing a twisting back flip!! And he throws a perfect strike!! Maybe there needs to be a Cirque du Soleil sports show in Vegas!!

Have a great Tuesday! And keep Livin’ The Dream!!

Follow "Morning Express with Robin Meade" sports anchor Carlos Diaz on twitter: @CarlosHLN

Posted by: Sports Anchor Carlos Diaz
Filed under: Baseball • MLB • Tennis • Wimbledon

Here we go again in the MW and Mid South. Storms are rolling into AR and TN early today, ahead of a cold front that will bring more severe weather to the South this afternoon. The main thing I can see now is the constant lightning over the TN River Valley, and that whole schmear will refire today in MS, AL, GA, and the Carolinas. Watch out for damaging wind gusts, too. You can see those conditions on today's map:

The warm, moist atmosphere along the East Coast puts everywhere from the NE to the Mid Atlantic at risk of storms, so watch for delays at airports in NYC, Philly, DC and ATL. I have the details on the show.

The Plains and SW are heating up big time today. Heat advisories in OK, TX, and AZ will make it feel very uncomfortable. On the plus side, the dry weather in the MW should help ease flooding concerns there.

I’ve been watching the fire weather in NM and AZ this morning, too. The 20 mph winds coming out of the South in Los Alamos will not help the fire-fighting efforts there, and critical fire danger areas will develop in NV, AZ, UT and CO this afternoon, too. Look for windy and dry conditions to prevail today, and worsen through Friday.

Another storm is headed into the West Coast. Heavy rain is in store for the Bay Area northward to WA State. The radar is already pretty active.

Enjoy Tuesday, see ya out there.

*Follow "Morning Express with Robin Meade" meteorologist Bob Van Dillen on Twitter: @BobVanDillen

Posted by: Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen
Filed under: Fire • Heat • High winds • Severe Weather • Weather

EITAN ABRAMOVICH/AFP/Getty Images

If you just can't figure out why you are not getting that promotion, try popping a MINT!

According to a new survey from CareerBuilder.com BAD BREATH is one of the top personal attributes employers say would make them less likely to extend a promotion include:

1. Piercings – 37 percent
2. Bad breath – 34 percent
3. (tie) Visible tattoo – 31 percent
3. (tie) Often has wrinkled clothes – 31 percent
4. Messy hair – 29 percent
5. Dresses too casually – 28 percent
6. Too much perfume or cologne – 26 percent
7. Too much makeup – 22 percent
8. Messy office or cubicle – 19 percent
9. Chewed fingernails – 10 percent
10. Too suntanned – 4 percent

Employers, employees... what do you think? Are there things on this list that don't belong? How about something that SHOULD be on the list but isn't?

Filed under: Extras

I wonder if this little guy works in "morning television" too... because just about 5 hours into my shift... right about 7:30am... this happens to me too! Hopefully I won't be our next Viral Video of the Day!

You can leave a message on this little guy's YouTube page... tell him (or her) "Morning Express with Robin Meade on HLN" sent you.

We found this video in a collection put together by the folks at The Huffington Post. If you like baby animals falling asleep... they've put together a top 10: check it out.

Posted by: HLN TV/Web producer Grayson
Filed under: Viral Video of the Day • YouTube

My favorite video of the year is on "Morning Express" today, something I look forward too all year round. It’s the "Let's blow the holy heck out of life-sized dummies with M-80s to show you not what to do this Fourth of July!". I know it's a serious message, but I love seeing the mayhem that ensues while blowing the heads off of dolls and obliterating watermelons.

Speaking of "booms"... another loud start to the morning in the MW. I’m watching a heavy sheets of rain and strong storms steamroll through KS, MO, IL and IL right now, with more to come this afternoon. The entire region should see these storm ongoing for the day as a cold front moves in from the West, with the most likely form of severe weather being hail and damaging winds with these things. I’ll have the radar and the severe threat area for the day on the show.

The NE will be fine today with temps in the upper 80s, but some storms may move back to the Mid Atlantic states this afternoon with the heating of the day, with a better chance of storms in the SE. Air travel will get disrupted in FL and GA b/c of that.

The heat is back and smoking in the Southern Plains and OK. 100 in Tulsa today with a heat index of 108! Phoenix will reach 115 too, so an excessive heat warning is up for parts of AZ. I know it’s supposed to be hot in the desert SW, but not that hot! The wind will be forced back up the Front Range today, and that will initiate storms over CO by mid afternoon, and they should drift down as far south as the TX Panhandle by this evening, I’ll show you that zone too.

Another storm is working into the NW for the day, so the clouds arrive first and then the rain for WA and OR.

Posted by: Meteorologist Bob Van Dillen
Filed under: Extras • Weather

*Meteorologist Jim Kosek from accuweather.com is filling in for "Morning Express with Robin Meade's" Bob Van Dillen this morning:

FIRST WEEKEND OF SUMMER HAS STARTED AND HAPPY B-DAY CHOPPER!

Time for the ol' weekend getaway, huh? Well, not before I wish my dog, Chopper, a happy #4. Who else has a June 24th birthday? Time to celebrate that, along with the arrival of the weekend! However, be mindful of the flooding woes in the Northeast from recent storms, along with the Midwest, Plains and Northwest (melting snow, don't ya know).

Our latest cold front loligags (spelling correct? You tell this 6th grade spelling-bee champ) into the eastern Great Lakes and Appalachians today. Sooooo, as the atmosphere destabalizes, showers will blossom into heavy thunderstorms. Damaging winds and flooding downpours are possible Friday afternoon and evening from eastern North Carolina to the Hudson Valley and interior New England.

Another cold front will be the impetus (I read the dictionary) for heavy storms and more flooding from Wyoming and parts of the Dakotas to the Ozarks by day's end. Meanwhile, gusty winds will keep brush fires raging in the Southwest. The heat, ooooooh the heat, lingers across the South. So, while we have a lot going on across the nation, it is the first weekend of summer, so try not to let the weather be a deterrent. Enjoy!

More info, 24/7 at www.accuweather.com

Posted by: Guest Meteorologist Jim Kosek
Filed under: Fire • Flood • Heat • High winds • Rain • Weather