Forecasters issued heavy snow warnings for the higher elevations and said strong winds were likely to cause damage from Washington to Southern California and into the Interior West.
In the East, a high pressure system was expected to finally move off the Southeast Coast and into the Atlantic Ocean. Significant rain was forecast from the middle Mississippi Valley through the Ohio Valley. Freezing rain was possible in the Great Lakes region later in the day.
The Northeast was expected to rise into the 30s and 40s, while the Southeast was to see temperatures in the 50s, 60s and 70s. The Great Lakes were forecast to rise into the 30s and 40s, while the Northwest could see temperatures in the 20s in the higher elevations and 40s in the lower.
Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Friday ranged from a low of minus 26 degrees at Houlton, Maine, to a high of 77 degrees at Laredo, Texas.
