The Nation's Weather 08.16.09

By WEATHER UNDERGROUND (AP)

There will be a lot of action in the middle portion of the country to end the weekend Sunday as a low pressure system and associated front sweep through the Plains and into the Great Lakes.

This system will have a tremendous amount of moisture that will produce widespread moderate to heavy rain along with strong thunderstorms from Nebraska and the Dakotas through Illinois and Wisconsin.

Some of these thunderstorms may become severe, and thus the Storm Prediction Center has issued a slight chance of severe weather in this area. Residents should monitor their local weather and be prepared for any dangerous conditions.

Along the Gulf Coast, a continuation of moist flow off the Gulf of Mexico will again instigate showers and thunderstorms. The heaviest of this precipitation will be near a low pressure system that will move over the Florida Panhandle and farther inland.

The Northeast will get a rare warm day for this Summer as a high pressure system allows dry, warm conditions to persist. Temperatures there will rise into the 80s and 90s, while the Southeast will see similar temperatures. The Southern Plains will rise into the 90s and 100s, while the Northwest will see temperatures in the 70s and 80s.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Saturday ranged from a low of 24 degrees at Stanley, Idaho to a high of 114 degrees at Bullhead City, Ariz.