Storms will continue sweeping across the nation Friday as a low pressure tracks from the Plains to the Midwest.
The low pressure system has strengthened as it moved off the Rockies and brought severe storms from Oklahoma to Nebraska. On Friday, this system persists on its eastward track and moves over the Mid-Mississippi River Valley and into the Midwest. The system obtains energy by pulling warm and moist air in from the Gulf of Mexico and creating a strong warm front. This front will bring severe storms with heavy rainfall, strong winds and large hail to the Midwest and Ohio River Valley. There is a low chance that a tornado or two will develop. These heavy rains will allow for flooding to remain a concern across the Missouri River, the Upper and Mid-Mississippi River Valley and the surrounding tributaries.
In the East, a slow-moving low pressure system hovers over Quebec. This allows for a few more scattered showers to develop across the Northeast and New England, but severe storms and heavy downpours are not likely.
Meanwhile in the South, high pressure remains the dominant weather feature across the Southwest and Southern Plains. This creates another hot, dry and windy day, which allows for difficult fire management for Arizona and New Mexico. Farther west, high pressure over the West Coast brings more warm and dry conditions to the Pacific Northwest and California.
Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday ranged from a morning low of 24 degrees at Stanley, Idaho, to a high of 109 degrees at Pecos, Texas.
