The Nation's Weather 11.12.09

By WEATHER UNDERGROUND (AP)

The remnants of Tropical Storm Ida were expected to continue tracking through the Southeastern U.S. on Thursday.

The system was forecast to continue pulling abundant moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and allow for wet weather over the South. Rainfall in the Southeast could decrease to light and scattered showers with totals near a half of an inch. But strong winds were expected to increase over the region with wind gusts of up to 30 mph.

The slow-moving system was forecast to continue to flood the region from the Gulf of Mexico, up the Mississippi River, and up the East Coast in to the Mid-Atlantic states.

Scattered showers also were expected to increase up the coast as additional moisture comes in from the Atlantic.

Strong storms were forecast in the Carolinas and Virginias with rainfall totals of up to 2 inches with periods of strong thunderstorm development. Coastal flooding and erosion were expected over the Mid-Atlantic states.

Behind this system, a large high pressure system could move from the Plains and Mississippi River Valley and into the Great Lakes and Northeast. It was expected to continue bringing mild weather with mostly sunny skies and warm conditions.

Temperatures in the Northeast were expected to remain in the 50s while the Midwest could see a warm day in the 60s. A trough of low pressure was forecast to start pushing in from the Rocky Mountains and bring strong winds to the Southern Plains. Gusts could reach up to 20 mph in the Plains, with temperatures reaching into the 70s.

In the West, a trough of low pressure was expected to continue tracking eastward from the Pacific Northwest and over the Northern Plains. Most areas of Montana and Wyoming could see between 3 and 5 inches of snowfall with more at higher elevations.

Oregon and Washington were forecast to start to dry out and remain cool with highs in the 40s. A light mix of snow and rain was expected and could bring less than a half of an inch of accumulation. Light rain was forecast to spread into northern California as a cold front pushes southeastward through the region.

On Wednesday, temperatures in the Lower 48 states ranged from a low of 13 degrees at Spincich Lake, Mich. to a high of 91 degrees at Picacho Peak, Ariz.