LDN - Weather

The nation's weather

[January 21, 2011] (AP) Two weather features will bring active weather to the nation Friday.

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A low pressure system in the North will continue making its way eastward, moving from the Great Lakes into the Northeast. Flow around this system pushes a cold front eastward, which will move offshore of the East Coast throughout the day.

Expect this front to kick up light rain over the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic states, as well as the panhandle of Florida. Rainfall totals will be light, with less than a quarter of an inch anticipated.

In the North, however, expect periods of heavy snow across New England and the Northeast. As high temperatures range from the 20s to mid-30s, snow will develop from Maine to the higher elevations of Virginia and West Virginia. Snowfall totals will range from 2 to 4 inches in most areas, while the Appalachians may see up to 6 inches.

Behind this system, in the Plains, another trough develops as it moves off the Rockies. This will bring scattered snow showers to the northern Plains and upper Midwest. Expect 2 to 3 inches of new snow, while the eastern shores of the Great Lakes may see up to 4 inches of wet and heavy lake-effect snow showers.

These two low pressure systems in the North will pull in cold air from Canada. Expect the upper Midwest and northern Plains to see highs in the single digits, while overnight lows will dip into the negative teens, with wind chills dropping into the negative 20s and 30s.

Farther west, a trough of low pressure makes its way over the Pacific Northwest, triggering scattered rain showers, with snow in the Cascades and northern Rockies. Expect 3 inches of snow to the 6,000-foot level in the Cascades and up to 6 inches across higher elevations of Idaho and western Montana.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday ranged from a morning low of minus 18 degrees at Devils Lake, N.D., to a high of 84 degrees at West Palm Beach, Fla.

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Online:

Weather Underground: http://www.wunderground.com/

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

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

[Associated Press article from Weather Underground]