The nation's weather
Weather UndergroundA strong winter storm was expected to continue tracking east through the Central U.S. on Monday.
A low pressure system that developed over the Rocky Mountains was forecast to pull moisture into the Plains from the Gulf of Mexico and create a strong frontal boundary that could move through the Upper Midwest, Southern Plains and Mid-Mississippi River Valley.
The cold front was expected to trigger scattered snow showers over most of the Central U.S., due to below-freezing temperatures in the Central and Southern Plains. The Upper Midwest could see between 1 and 3 inches of snow, while parts of Oklahoma and northern Texas could see up to 5 inches of snow.
The system also was expected to push moisture into the East as it moved up the Ohio River Valley, and may produce up to 3 inches of new snow. An extremely cold air mass was forecast to follow the front as high pressure built over the Northern and Central Plains, where high temperatures were expected in the 20s and 30s. Strong winds associated with this transition from low to higher pressure could create gusts of up to 35 mph across the Dakotas.
Cold air pouring in from Canada could allow for highs to remain in the single digits in the Northern Rockies and Northern Plains, with below zero wind chills in the High Plains.
Over the East Coast, high pressure was expected to linger and allow for mild weather before the strong low pressure system moved in from the Plains. But a low pressure system to the northeast could continue pushing some light moisture over the extreme Northeast and allow for light snow.
The Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states were forecast to see cloudy skies and cool conditions with highs in the 40s and 50s.
In the West, another day of mild weather was expected with a few patchy clouds as another front hovered off the West Coast.
On Sunday, temperatures in the Lower 48 states ranged from a low of negative 14 degrees at Watertown, N.Y. to a high of 77 degrees at Brownsville, Texas.