The Nation's Weather 10.16.08

By WEATHER UNDERGROUND

A cold front was forecast to push into the East on Thursday, dropping temperatures substantially and bringing showers from the Northeast to Texas. Clear, dry skies were expected over much of the nation's midsection, while a storm was predicted to take aim at the Northwest.

Temperatures in the East were expected to return to seasonal norms. Heavy rain was forecast across the Gulf Coast, and the lower Mississippi Valley could receive up to an inch.

Rain also was expected in Washington state and could turn to snow in the highest elevations of the Cascade Mountains. Significant accumulations were unlikely. Dry conditions and rising temperatures were forecast elsewhere in the Northwest.

Cooler temperatures were predicted in the Ohio Valley and the Plains.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states on Wednesday ranged from a low of 12 degrees at Kremmling, Colo., to a high of 98 degrees at Santee, Calif.