The Nation's Weather 10.26.09

By WEATHER UNDERGROUND (AP)

The Central U.S. was forecast to see another day of wet weather as a strong cold front continued tracking through the Plains.

A trough of low pressure that developed over the Central Rockies would create strong flow from the south, and pull warm and moist conditions in from the Gulf of Mexico. With the cold front as a trigger, these conditions would allow for scattered showers to stretch from the Great Lakes, over the Upper and Mid Mississippi River Valley, and into the Southern Plains.

With most humidity contained to the South, moderate to heavy showers and thunderstorms would pop up over eastern Texas, Oklahoma, and move into Louisiana by evening. These storms have a history of producing severe weather with hail, thus, there was a chance for severe thunderstorms with periods of heavy rainfall, with up to 2-3 inches. Thus, the Lower Mississippi would be threatened by flooding Monday. Rainfall was expected to be lower in the North, with totals less than a quarter of an inch.

In the East, a ridge of high pressure would hover over the region, allowing for mostly sunny skies over the Northeast. However, onshore flow from the Mid-Atlantic was forecast to create a front that would get trapped between the Appalachians and the Atlantic. This would allow for scattered showers over the Carolina and Virginias.

In the West, a trough would dip in from the North Pacific and kick up widespread scattered showers over the Northwest. Light snow was expected at higher elevations of the Cascades and Northern Rockies. The rest of the West would remain dry and sunny with seasonable temperatures.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Sunday ranged from a low of 10 degrees at Daniel, Wyo., to a high of 95 degrees at Thermal, Calif.