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[March 12, 2010] (AP) Wet weather was forecast to persist in the Eastern half of the nation Friday as a large low pressure system hovered over the region.

Hardware A low pressure system spinning over the Mississippi River Valley was expected to spread scattered showers northward into the Great Lakes and upper Midwest, while a strong front would extend into the Southeast and Gulf states. As this front obtains abundant moisture from the Gulf, it was expected to kick up scattered showers and thunderstorms over the Southeast and move into the Carolinas and Tennessee Valley. The storms were expected to turn severe as they have a history of producing strong winds and tornadoes. Flooding would continue to threaten the region, as most areas would see near an inch of rain, while areas of thunderstorms would see up to 2 inches.

In the North, the low pressure system would push warm air in from the South. Thus, the Midwest would see mainly rain showers as highs hovered in the 40s and 50s. Rainfall totals near half an inch were expected in most places. Moisture from this system was forecast to also push into New England, also kicking up half an inch of rain. However, the backside of this system would see rain turning to sleet and snow, with highs near freezing in the northern and central Plains.

Meanwhile in the West, another low pressure system spinning offshore was forecast to push a cold front over the Pacific Northwest. This system would kick up another round of low-level rain and high-level snow in the Sierras and Cascades. Up to half an inch of rain was expected over most of the West Coast with a few inches of new snow in the mountains. Up to 9 inches was expected at elevations above 4,000 feet.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday ranged from a low of minus 9 degrees at Wisdom, Mont., to a high of 89 degrees at Kingsville, Texas.

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[Associated Press article from Weather Underground]