The nation's weather

[August 28, 2010]  (AP)  The eastern half of the nation was expected to remain under fair weather conditions, while monsoon storms persist in the Southwest on Saturday.

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A ridge of high pressure was likely to extend from the Rocky Mountains to the East Coast. This ridge will allow for sunny skies and warm daytime temperatures, while overnight lows were forecast to be slightly cooler.

The Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast were expected to see comfortable weather, with highs in the mid-80s and overnight lows reaching near 40 in some areas of the north.

In the northern Plains, a trough of low pressure moving through Canada was likely to push a cold front over the Dakotas and into the upper Midwest. This system was forecast to kick up a few light showers but mainly bring some strong winds. Dangerous fire weather conditions were expected as highs were likely to remain in the 90s, with dry surface conditions and wind gusts up to 30 mph. These conditions are favorable for the rapid spread of fire.

The southern Plains were also expected to remain hot, with highs in the 90s. Poor air quality was forecast again across the urban areas of eastern Texas, due to the sinking motion of air associated with high pressure. This acts to trap pollution near the surface and allows for poor visibility.

To the east, a stationary front was expected to linger over the northern Gulf, kicking up scattered showers over the Gulf states throughout the day.

In the West, a trough of low pressure was hovering off the West Coast. This was likely to push some low clouds along the coast, while also pushing monsoon moisture into the Southwestern U.S. Thus, another round of high-level scattered showers and thunderstorms was expected.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Friday ranged from a low of 32 degrees at Truckee-Tahoe, Calif., to a high of 107 degrees at Philip, S.D.

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National Weather Service:
http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov/

Intellicast:
http://www.intellicast.com/

[Associated Press article from Weather Underground]

Copyright 2009 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

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