The Nations Weather

Associated Press - December 3, 2008 4:43 AM ET

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY:

Across the eastern two-thirds of the country, scattered light snow showers fell across the Great Lakes region, and portions of the Ohio Valley and the Northeast. The heaviest snows occurred along the lakeshores with 5 inches of new snow reported in Erie County, New York; and 4 inches of new snow at Darien County, New York. Further south, scattered rain showers affected coastal portions of North Carolina with rainfall amounts of around 0.15 inches. Later in the day and into the overnight period, a strong cold front brought clouds and snow to the northern Plains and the Upper Midwest. Snowfall accumulations ranged from 1-4 inches. Otherwise, dry conditions were experienced across the central and southern Plains, the Middle and Lower Mississippi Valley, the Southeast, Florida, and the majority of the Mid-Atlantic region.

In the West, a strong cold front pushed through the northern and central Rocky Mountains, and the northern high Plains. Strong winds, and rain and snow showers fell across Idaho, Montana, northern Utah, Wyoming and northern Colorado. The heaviest snows fell across western Montana with 9.3 inches of new snow reported at Glacier, Montana, and 8.5 inches at Helena, Montana. Central Wasatch Peak in Utah reported a wind gust of 77 mph, and Playa Station, Utah reported a wind gust of 63 mph. Dense fog caused gloomy and cool conditions once again through the central valleys of California. Fair and dry conditions were experienced across the southern High Plains, the southern Rocky Mountains, the Desert Southwest, the Great Basin and the Pacific Northwest.

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY:

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F).............86 Fort Stockton, TX

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F)..............79 Imperial, CA

............................................ Fort Stockton, TX

............................................ Harlingen, TX

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..............-7 Embarrass, MN

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)..............-21 Thief River, MN

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).....................77 Central Wasatch Peak, UT

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)............0.77 Erie, PA

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1856, a blizzard raged across Iowa and Kansas, producing 16 inches of snow in portions of Iowa.

In 1983, heavy rain drenched Birmingham, Alabama with 9.22 inches of rain in just 24 hours. These rains cause severe flash flooding, which literally submerged traffic.

In 1988, gale force brought cold air into the Northeast and produced snow squalls in the Lower Great Lakes region. Winds gusted to 48 mph at Buffalo, New York.

DTN-Meteorlogix

Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.