The Nation's Weather 01.14.09

By WEATHER UNDERGROUND

Frigid temperatures were in store for residents of the East and Midwest on Wednesday and snow greeted those in the Ohio Valley and Great Lakes, while the West was clear and hot.

Dangerously cold weather will occur in the northern Plains and Midwest, where daytime highs will remain below minus 10 degrees in the coldest locations. Overnight lows will be even worse, with portions of Minnesota expected to drop into the minus 30s.

Temperatures in the New England interior will also drop to similarly dangerous levels, especially from the Adirondacks in northern New York into Maine. Below freezing temperatures are anticipated into Florida, where overnight lows should remain just above the freezing level.

Light to moderate snow was anticipated across the Northeastern interior, which combined with the frigid temperatures, could make travel conditions nasty from Ohio to New York.

Just east of the northern Rockies, light snow was possible from Montana through western Kansas.

West of the Rockies, a completely different story will shape up. With a surge of warm air rushing in from the south, the West will see another day of clear skies and likely record-breaking temperatures.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states on Tuesday ranged from a low of minus 41 degrees at Bigfork, Minn., to a high of 87 degrees at Santa Ana, Calif.