The nation's weather
Weather UndergroundMost of the U.S. should see another day of mild weather Wednesday as a large ridge of high pressure continues to build over the middle of the country and stretch over most of the East Coast.
However, a small but intense trough of low pressure will continue to move through the Southeast, keeping temperatures cool and increasing the chance of rain. It will start the day in eastern Texas and pick up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico as it moves over the Gulf states. Cool air associated with this system means highs will only reach into the 50s and 60s. This system has a history of producing scattered showers and thunderstorms, but if they develop, storms will remain mild and are not expected to turn severe. Rainfall totals will also be light, with up to a half of an inch expected in most areas and up to an inch in the vicinity of thunderstorms.
Meanwhile, a weak front that moved through the upper Midwest will lose most of its strength as it moves into the Great Lakes. This may cause cloudy skies, but precipitation is not anticipated. Most of the Midwest, the Great Lakes and New England will see another warm day with highs in the 60s.
In the West, another Pacific storm pushed a cold front onshore, which will continue moving through the Pacific Northwest on Wednesday. This system has little moisture but will bring cool and breezy conditions. Expect highs in the 50s, with winds gusting up to 20 mph.
California will see another warm and sunny day with highs in the 70s.
Temperatures in the lower 48 states Tuesday ranged from a low of 7 degrees at Leadville, Colo. to a high of 84 degrees at Camp Pendleton, Calif.
New England was forecast to see another day of light showers, while scattered thunderstorms would persist in the Southern Plains on Tuesday.
A low pressure system lingering off the East Coast was expected to continue pushing moisture over New England and the Northeast. But as temperatures remained in the 40s, most areas would see scattered rain showers. Significant rainfall was not anticipated because this system would continue to slowly move farther offshore and would pull any available moisture with it. Less than a quarter of an inch of rain was expected in most places.
Behind this system, high pressure was expected to continue building over the Plains and bring a mild day to the Central U.S. Mostly sunny skies and warm conditions were expected over the Mississippi, Tennessee, and Ohio River Valleys. Thus, flood watches would remain in effect in the North, as these warm conditions continued to melt snow and ice over the region. Meanwhile, a small trough over the Dakotas was expected to move into the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes, kicking up overcast skies that might trigger light precipitation.
In the South, a trough of low pressure at higher levels of the atmosphere was forecast to move through the Southern Plains. This system would obtain moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and continue spreading moisture over Texas and Oklahoma. With warm air present, this would allow for scattered showers and thunderstorms to develop again Tuesday. This system did not have a history of producing severe storms.
Out West, another storm spinning in the Pacific Ocean would push a cold front over the Pacific Northwest. This was expected to kick up a few scattered showers, with light snow at higher elevations of the Cascades. California was forecast to remain dry and sunny as this storm remained in the north.
Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Monday ranged from a low of 3 degrees at Yellowstone, Wyo., to a high of 82 degrees at Long Beach, Calif.