Weather Information For Wed.

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)............92 Fullerton, CA HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F).............94 Key West, FL LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES

Thursday, November 15th 2007, 6:39 am

By: News On 6

WEATHER EXTREMES FOR YESTERDAY

HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)............92 Fullerton, CA

HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F).............94 Key West, FL

LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F).............-1 Yellowstone, WY

LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)..............-8 Yellowstone, WY

HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH)....................60 Little Rock, AR

HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)...........2.47 Nashville, TN

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY:

In the East, scattered rain showers with embedded thunderstorms developed along a frontal boundary stretching southwestward from Ontario, Canada into the Tennessee Valley. A few of these storms became severe late this afternoon, producing quarter-sized hail, damaging winds gusting in excess of 60 miles per hour, and brief downpours of rain along the southern Ohio Valley and the Tennessee River Valley. At least one tornado was confirmed near London, Kentucky, but no injuries were reported. Isolated showers and thunderstorms were also reported across southeastern Florida, where a weak upper-level disturbance remained offshore along the eastern Florida. Elsewhere, mostly cloudy skies dominated the Northeast, Great Lakes, Ohio Valley, and the Gulf Coast states, with clear to partly cloudy skies in the Southeast and the Carolinas.

In the western two-thirds of the country, light snow showers and a rain/snow mix was observed across portions of the upper Midwest, as a weak disturbance approached the Great Lakes region. For the most part, rain and snowfall amounts have remained light over this area. Gusty winds continued throughout the afternoon and into the evening hours over the Great Plains and into portions of the Mississippi Valley. Sustained winds of 20 to 30 miles per hour was common across this region, with gusts up to 50 miles per hour along the northern Plains. Scattered showers with embedded thunderstorms were reported across the lower Mississippi Valley and into far eastern Texas, in association with a trailing cold front. Further west, isolated rain showers and mountain snow showers impacted Washington and northern Idaho, but thus far snowfall amounts have remained light. Otherwise, a broad upper-level ridge provided clear to partly cloudy skies and fair, dry conditions to the remainder of the western United States throughout the remainder of the day.

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:

In 1990, a record breaking lake-effect snowfall event struck upstate New York. Watertown, New York recorded a whopping 45 inches of snow during a 24-hour period a record of which would not be broken until 1976.

In 1987, a severe weather outbreak struck the southern Plains and Louisiana, spawning 49 tornadoes that would kill 12 people and injuring 292. An F3 tornado tracked nearly 50 miles across eastern Texas into Louisiana, killing 34,000 chickens.

In 1988, an F2 tornado hit Topeka, Kansas injuring 22 people; while in nearby Arkansas, two tornadoes moved through the central part of the state killing six people.

FRONTS ACROSS THE NATION:

A warm front is over eastern Pennsylvania and New Jersey.

A cold front is draped across New York state, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, western Virginia, eastern Tennessee, northern Georgia, Alabama, southern Mississippi, Louisiana, southern Texas, New Mexico, western Colorado, and eastern Utah.

A warm front is over western Washington.

NATIONAL WEATHER FORECAST:

Across the eastern half of the country, a low pressure system and associated cold front will bring scattered showers and embedded thunderstorms to the Northeast stretching down through the Southeast Atlantic Coastline. Some storms could be strong to severe with sizable hail, frequent lightning gusty winds, heavy downpours, and an isolated tornado or two. Rainfall totals are expected to be between a half of an inch to an inch with locally higher totals above two inches possible. A few isolated to scattered snow showers may be possible for the Great Lakes with snowfall accumulations expected to reach no higher than two inches for most areas. The Mississippi Valley and Tennessee Valley should remain dry and partly cloudy with a cool northern winds throughout the day. Highs will be in the 30s and 40s in the Great Lakes, and the Upper Mississippi Valley the 40s and 50s in the Northeast, the Ohio Valley, the Mid-Atlantic, and the Middle Mississippi Valley; and the 50s, 60s, and 70s in the Southeast, the Tennessee Valley, and the Lower Mississippi Valley.

Over the western half of the country, The Pacific Northwest will continue to see mostly cloudy to overcast skies with rain showers throughout the day as a low pressure system churns offshore. Rainfall totals will be around a tenth of an inch with locally higher totals around a quarter of an inch possible. Snowfall of up to two inches is also possible in higher elevations including the Cascade Mountains range. Morning fog is expected to impact portions of the California Coast and the southern Plains limiting visibilities to less than quarter of a mile in places. Elsewhere, high pressure will remain entrenched over the Great Plains, the Great Basin, the Rocky Mountains, and the Desert Southwest bringing partly cloudy to sunny skies to much of the area. Today's highs will be in the 40s and 50s in the northern and central Plains, the northern and central Rocky Mountains, and the Pacific Northwest; the 50s and 60s in the southern Rocky Mountains, and the Great Basin; the 60s and 70s in California, and the southern Plains; and the 60s, 70s and, 80s in the Desert Southwest.

Prepared by WeatherBank, Inc.