The nation's weather

[December 29, 2010]  (AP)  The main weather producer for the nation on Wednesday was forecast to be the Pacific storm system that moved ashore Tuesday. This complex system with several pieces of energy was expected to continue to advance eastward and southward, dumping more rain and mountain snow from the coast to the Rockies. Meteorologists expected precipitation coverage to reach the northern Plains by Thursday morning.

The heaviest precipitation can be expected in central and southern California, where the best swath of moisture will aim. Coastal regions and windward sides of the mountains could see 1 to 2 inches of rain and 1 to 3 feet of snow. This could cause areas of flooding especially over the Central Valley and northern coastal regions. Apart from the precipitation, this storm system was expected to bring very cold air across the West Coast. Temperatures were expected to be 5 to 10 degrees below normal along the coast and 10 to 20 degrees inland and in the mountains Wednesday through at least Friday.

Another area of precipitation was forecast to be over the southern Plains and lower Mississippi Valley. This is due to a combination of a piece of energy coming from Mexico and moist southerly flow from the Gulf of Mexico. No severe weather was anticipated.

A relatively tranquil weather pattern was expected for the East Coast. High pressure was expected to dominate across much of the eastern U.S., producing fair weather conditions with cold overnight temperatures. Breezy conditions were forecast to continue through Wednesday. In addition, some lake-effect snow was expected over the eastern shore of Lake Ontario.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Tuesday ranged from a morning low of minus 14 degrees at Mount Washington, N.H., to a high of 73 degrees at Brownsville, Texas.

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http://www.intellicast.com/

[Associated Press article from Weather Underground]

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