The Nation's Weather 10.01.09

By WEATHER UNDERGROUND (AP)

Wet weather was forecast to sweep through the Central U.S. on Thursday as a strong low pressure system pushed off the Rockies and into the Plains.

The system that developed over the Great Basin and spread light snowfall over the Rockies was expected to push a cold front eastward that would extend from the Dakotas and into the Upper an Mid-Mississippi River Valley, and stretch back westward into the Southern Plains. Scattered showers and thunderstorms were expected to pop up along this front, with rainfall totals near a half of an inch and up to an inch anticipated in areas of severe storm development. If severe weather developed, it would be confined to Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin, as a small but strong warm front passed through the region. Not much rainfall was likely over the Southern Plains, but the cold front would bring cooler air in from the north and kick up strong winds with gusts up to 30 mph.

In the East, high pressure over most of the East Coast would bring mild weather with pleasant conditions. As the ridge continued to build, cool and moist air would flow over the Great Lakes, allowing for light showers to persist. Additionally, this would allow for a cold night, with overnight lows dipping to near freezing again over the Great Lakes and Northeast regions. The Southeast would remain warm and sunny with highs in the 80s.

In the West, another low pressure system spinning off the coast of British Colombia was forecast to push a cold front over the Pacific Northwest. This would kick up cloudy skies with light and scattered showers over Washington and Oregon. Overnight low temperatures would dip into the 30s into Northern California as daytime highs remained in the mid-to upper 60s. Seasonable conditions were expected again over most of California and the Southwest.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Wednesday ranged from a low of 19 degrees at Lakeview AWS, Ore., to a high of 100 degrees at Pecos, Texas.