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[May 10, 2011] (AP) The strong storm system in the West was to push eastward into the Midwest with cold temperatures and precipitation Monday.

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Insurance Gulf moisture was forecast to spread northward as the system tracked toward the Mississippi Valley. This was expected to fuel numerous scattered showers and thunderstorms ahead of an associated frontal boundary that was to trek through the southern Plains and Ozarks.

Meanwhile, a wintry mix of precipitation was expected to the north and west of the main system, from the northern Plains through areas of the Intermountain West. Snow accumulations throughout the northern Plains were expected to range from 2 to 4 inches.

Besides snow, strong northwest winds were predicted to persist through the day, creating periods of blowing and drifting snow and ultimately reduced visibility. Strong winds and falling temperatures were to translate into wind chills as low as minus 20 by Monday night.

The northwestern Colorado Rockies were forecast to experience the heaviest amounts of snowfall in the Intermountain West. Snow accumulations ranging from 8 to 16 inches were expected by Monday night, with higher amounts possible, especially on the north and northwest slopes.

Behind this system, high pressure was to build over the West Coast, bringing drier and warmer weather to California and portions of the Pacific Northwest. Fair weather in the Pacific Northwest was expected to be short-lived Monday due to another Pacific disturbance approaching the region.

Rain and mountain snow were forecast to gradually increase in western Washington and northwest Oregon through Monday evening due to this disturbance.

Finally, in the East, high pressure was predicted to maintain control over the Eastern Seaboard with dry and fair weather. Near average temperatures were expected across the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic, while warmer daytime highs were expected in the Tennessee Valley, the northern Gulf Coast states and Florida.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Sunday ranged from a low of minus 5 degrees at Burns, Ore., to a high of 86 degrees at Naples, Fla.

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http://www.intellicast.com/

[Associated Press article from Weather Underground]