Midwest

Weather Underground midday recap for Thursday, January 08, 2009.

A splendid mid-winter day shaped up on Thursday as a storm system pushed out of the East overnight leaving partly cloudy skies and crisp temperatures in its wake. A few scattered snow showers persisted beneath the clouds as cold winds over the Great Lakes triggered some lake effect snow showers. Snow showers were also reported along the Maine coast while further south, rain fell in the eastern Carolinas.

A deep trough in the Jet Stream plunged into the Tennessee Valley during the day bringing some very chilly temperature readings to the region. While temperatures were low, high pressure over the Mid-Mississippi Valley kept cloud cover to a minimum.

High pressure in the West also kept skies over the Southern Plains and Southwest clear on Thursday. A cold front along the western edge of the high pushed through California and Nevada, but precipitation along the front was limited.

In the Northwest and Intermountain region, the front had more energy, and heavier precipitation was reported across Nevada and into Southern Idaho.

The Pacific Northwest saw record breaking precipitation continue. By mid-afternoon, more than an inch of precipitation had been reported in many locations throughout western Washington.



Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday have ranged from a morning low of -20 degrees at Hallock, Minn to a midday high of 86 degrees at Weslaco, Texas.