The Nations Weather

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY:

Across the east, a stalled frontal boundary extending from the western Gulf of Mexico to the Carolinas continued to produce soggy conditions. Widespread rainfall was noted once again from the Louisiana coastline northeastward to Virginia. Precipitation amounts have generally ranged from a quarter to a half inch in most areas. A few locations across Alabama to South Carolina reported higher amounts from two-thirds of an inch to an inch and a half. This was the third consecutive day of consistent rainfall and small scale flooding has become a concern across the South. Many locations across the South and Southeast have picked up 2 to 4 inches of rain over the last 3 days. Raleigh Durham, NC for example, have reported 2.16 inches since last Friday. Overnight, the stalled system over the Southeast pushed off the coast and rain showers gradually ended across the South and Southeast. Scattered light rain showers lingered across the Mid-Atlantic from North Carolina to southeastern Pennsylvania. Further to the north, the northeastern U.S. and Great Lakes regions were quiet with seasonal temperatures.

Over the central portion of the country, very mild temperatures were found from Texas to Minnesota. Eighty degree temperatures spread from Texas to Kansas with mid sixties being reported as far north as central Minnesota. Minneapolis had its warmest day of the year at 67, 27 degrees above normal. Several record highs were noted across Nebraska, including Norfolk which topped out at 78. During the evening and overnight hours, some scattered showers spread across North Dakota and northwest Minnesota, before pushing into Ontario. Otherwise, it was dry and quiet across the central U.S.

Across the west, a cold front pushing across the northern Rockies continued to produced unsettled weather across Washington, Oregon, Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. Heavy valley rain and mountain snow continues to fall from Washington to northern California and eastward to Idaho and western Montana. Snowfall continued to pile up over the Olympics and Cascade ranges with another half foot or more of accumulation in most spots. Heavy snows also fell across the mountains of northwestern Wyoming where up to 18 inches fell in the higher elevations of Yellowstone Park. In addition to the heavy precipitation, the storm was accompanied by high winds with gusts over 50 mph reported from eastern Oregon to western Montana and western Wyoming. This cold front will eject into the Northern Plains today with precipitation weakening across the Northwest. The Southwest and Four-Corners region was quiet with dry weather. With the exception of coastal southern California, where marine layer clouds kept temperatures down a bit, the Southwest states experienced near normal temperatures.

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY:

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F).............90 Daytona Beach, FL

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F)..............89 Daytona Beach, FL

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..............-8 Presque Isle, ME

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...............-9 Frenchville, ME

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).....................56 Livingston, MT

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)............1.60 Mt. Meadows, ID

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1892, a winter storm dumped a record 18.5 inches of snow on Memphis, TN.

In 1906, a temperature of 50 below zero was reported at Snake River, WY. This is a record low for the U.S. for the month of March.

In 1988, up to fifteen inches of snow fell across Oklahoma and the Texas panhandle. The same winter storm blanketed the Ozark area of Missouri and Arkansas with 14 inches of snow.

DTN-Meteorlogix/J. Stephen

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