The Nation's Weather 01.12.09

By WEATHER UNDERGROUND

Arctic wind chills and blizzard conditions plowed into the Midwest and Northern Plains on Monday. The remainder of the country will have a more benign start to the work week.

The northern storm system will produce heavy snow showers and blustery winds as it races east across the Plains and mid-Mississippi Valley. Strong winds, with high gusts will create periods of blowing and drifting snow, dropping visibility.

The Northeast will see dry conditions as high pressure builds over the Ohio Valley. The system will push across the Northeast throughout the day and will move offshore into the Atlantic by the evening.

To the South, long periods of low relative humidity will create dry conditions across the Florida Panhandle. The majority of the West also was to stay dry, with mostly sunny skies and milder temperatures.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states on Sunday ranged from a low of minus 20 degrees at Presque Isle, Maine, to a high of 88 degrees at Lake Forest, Calif.