National Weather Outlook

The Nation's Weather as of 4 AM EST 1/6/98

Weather extremes for yesterday:

Highest temperature (degrees f)
84 Macdill, FL, Ft. Myers, Fl & Sarasota, FL

Highest heat index (degrees f).............91 Marathon, FL

Lowest temperature (degrees f).............-9 Jordan, MT

Lowest wind chill (degrees f).............-28 Glasgow, MT

Highest wind gust (mph)....................42 Sandburg, CA

Highest precipitation (inches)...........4.55 New Orleans, LA

NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY:

A storm system continued to track slowly across the Ohio and Mississippi valles Monday. Warm, moist Gulf air streamed up along the frontal boundary and brought widespread rains to the northern Ohio Valley into the Great Lakes. The rain was light for most of the day but areas of Indiana received over half an inch through the day. By the evening most of the precipitation across this region tracked into southern Indiana, into Ohio and the western portions of Pennsylvania and New York. This widespread rain was associated with a warm front that stretched from the New England to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. North of this boundary, freezing rain fell across Michigan and Wisconsin. Further to the west light to moderate snow fell over Minnesota, with the heaviest precipitation in northwestern portions of the state. northwestern portions of the state.

Showers and thunderstorms developed across eastern Tennessee south to the Florida panhandle. A line of storms was continuing to push through Alabama, Georgia, and the Florida panhandle during the evening hours. Heavy rains from one to three inches have been reported with the storms in this area.

Temperatures across the eastern United States rose to record levels in many locations because of the air driven north from the Gulf.

SOME OF THE HIGHS INCLUDE:

LOCATION........ NEW OLD YEAR
Morgantown, WV....68 65 1993
Rochester, NY.......65 59 1997
Binghamton, NY....55 54 1993
Muskegon, MI......54 51 1946
Milwaukee, WI.....53 50 1946

The Midwest saw a variety of weather. Across the Dakotas and Nebraska light snow and freezing drizzle fell. This caused hazardous travel conditions through the day. Further south across Texas and southeast Oklahoma severe thunderstorms developed. This brought heavy lightning and rain, with hail up to golf ball size in some storms. A possible tornado was reported in central Texas.

A storm system in the Rockies brought snow to portions of the four corners states and Wyoming. The heaviest snow fell across western Colorado and Wyoming with four to eight inches accumulating across this region, with over a foot in Grand Lake, Colorado. Another storm system was moving into the Pacific Northwest. This brought heavy snows to the Cascades, with up two feet in the Washington. Heavy rains up to one-point-two inches fell along the Coastal regions of Washington and Oregon.

ON THIS DATE IN HISTORY:
In 1856, the major storm of Thoreau's ``long, snowwinter'' dropped snow that lasted until spring.

In 1880, Seattle received an estimated four feet of snow, which destroyed hundreds of barns.

FRONTS IN THE NATION
A cold front extends from Michigan's Upper Peninsula south to the southwest tip of Missouri.

A warm front extends from the Upper Peninsula of Michigan east through New England.

A stationary front extend from the southwest tip of Missouri through central Texas and north again to the Texas Panhandle.

A cold front extends from southeast Wyoming through the Four Corners region to south-central Arizona.

A stationary front extends southeast through Montana theough the panhandle of Nebraska.

NATIONAL WEATHER FORECAST:

A storm system will continue to move across the Great Lakes and the Mississippi and Ohio valleys today. Plenty of warm moist air will continue to bring rain and thunderstorms from Texas and Louisiana and north through Arkansas to the Great Lakes. The heaviest precipitation is expected to fall over eastern Texas, Louisiana, and Arkansas through the evening hours. Significant rains will fall along the Ohio Valley into New England as well. North of the warm front boundary mixed precipitation will likely occur again. Freezing rain will make for hazardous travel conditions across Michigan, Wisconsin into northern New England and upstate New York. Snow showers will fall north of that. Temperatures will rise to the 60's and 70's across the southern Mississippi Valley. 50's and 40's will be found in the northern Ohio Valley, with 20's and 30's north of the warm front boundary.

A system will continue to bring snow to the Rockies through the afternoon hours. Snowfall up to eight inches is possible in the higher elevations of Colorado and Wyoming. Surrounding, lower elevations, will receive two to four inches. High pressure will be working in from the south which will end the precipitation by the evening hours. Temperatures will rise to the 30's.

The storm system in the Pacific Northwest will continue to move onshore during the day. Moderate rains are likely up and down the Coast from northern California to Seattle. Heavy snows are possible in the Cascades once again as well. The precipitation will spread across Washington State and bring snow to the mountains of Idaho and rain to the Valleys. Accumulations are expected to be less than three inches. Temperatures will rise to the 40's and 50's

High pressure will work into the rest of the West from the south, and bring in partly cloudy skies and dry weather. Temperatures will rise to the 50's and 60's, with 30's in the higher elevations of Arizona into Utah and New Mexico.

(Copyright 1998 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)