Summary

NATIONAL SUMMARY

-A weak storm system moving out of the Ohio Valley and into the
mid-Atlantic provided a wet commute for drivers in the Washington,
D.C., and Baltimore metro areas Thursday. This system also brought
some morning showers to the coastal Carolinas as well as Florida. By
the afternoon hours, the storm had exited off the coast. A push of
cooler air was running behind the departing system in the Northeast,
which resulted in temperatures ranging from 10 to 30 degrees lower
than the Wednesday's highs. Spotty and very light snow showers
affected portions of the central Great Lakes. A broad area of high
pressure center over the middle Mississippi Valley brought dry
weather to much of the Midwest, Northeast as well as much of the
Southeast. Meanwhile, as a storm moved eastward across southern
Colorado throughout the day, snow was picked up in intensity over
the central and southern Rockies. During the evening hours and
started to fall in Denver and parts of the Front Range. This system
also brought some strong thunderstorms to western Oklahoma and the
Texas Panhandle. Pea- to golf ball-sized hail fell across these areas
from the storms. However, the worst of the storm is yet to come as it
evolves into a major blizzard over eastern Colorado to central
Nebraska today. Farther south, afternoon showers and thunderstorms
erupted across eastern Texas and southern Louisiana. Out West, high
pressure brought sunny and tranquil weather to the West Coast.



SPECIAL WEATHER

Anniversary of the Great Northeastern Snowstorm...
-On this date in 1961, the Great Northeastern Snowstorm began across
the Northeast. The three-day event dumped massive amounts of snow
across the region. The storm was responsible for 73 deaths, snow
drifts of 15 feet and very gusty winds. A whopping 40 inches of snow
fell in Cortland, N.Y. In general, 14 to 24 inches fell in many
Northeast towns and cities. In New York, Central Park picked up 17.4
while J.F.K. received 22 inches. 18.3 inches of snow fell in
Providence, R.I. while a generous 14.4 inches blanketed the ground in
Boston.



WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS

Records from Thursday:

-Dodge City, Kan., had 0.58 of an inch of rain, breaking the record
of 0.32 of an inch set in 1982.
-Garden City, Kan., had 0.16 of an inch of rain, breaking the record
of 0.04 of an inch set in 1982.
-Springfield, Ill., set a record high of 62 degrees, smashing the
record of 58 degrees set in 1920 and 1931.
-Bellingham, Wash., set a record high of 59 degrees, breaking the
record of 58 degrees set in 1962 and 1991.
-Rochester, Minn., set a record high of 48 degrees, breaking the
record of 47 degrees set in 1931.

Snowfall Totals, as of 5 A.M. MST Friday:

-Jamestown, Colo.: 15.5"
-Brookvale, Colo.: 12.0"
-Boulder, Colo.: 10.0"
-Louisville, Colo.: 9.2"
-Westminster, Colo.: 8.5"
-Denver, Colo.: 6.5"
-Pueblo, Colo.: 3.5"


24-Hour Rainfall Totals, as of 6 A.M. CST Friday:

Woodward, OK 4.19"
Gage, OK 3.92"
Cleveland, TX 3.25"
Medicine Lodge, KS 3.08"
Oakdale, LA 2.86"
Pratt, KS 1.58"
Salina, KS 1.47"
Canadian, TX 1.44"
Rustin, LA 1.28"
Newton, KS 1.26"
Wichita (Mid-Continent), KS 1.25"
Concordia, KS 1.24"
Hutchinson, KS 1.21"
Peason, LA 1.20"
Wichita (Colonel Jabara), KS 1.08"
Fullerton, LA 1.06"
Fort Riley, KS 1.02"
Palestine, TX 1.01
Ponca City, OK 0.98"
Wichita (McConnell), KS 0.94"
Polk, LA 0.91"
Fort Polk, LA 0.89"
Manhattan, KS 0.85"
Alexandria (England), LA 0.81"



DAILY EXTREMES

National High Yesterday 83 at Marathon, Florida

National Low Yesterday -7 at Farson, Wyoming


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