An area of low pressure moved east northeastward over New England and southeast Canada. This system brought a light mixture of rain and snow to the upper Midwest, the northern Mid-Atlantic and New England. West Valley, New York, reported a midday total of 5.0 inches of snow.
A cold air mass trailed this system, which affected the northern Plains, the upper Midwest and the Great Lakes. Freeze warnings were issued across the Ohio Valley on Thursday. Crane Lake, Minnesota, recorded a morning low of 12 degrees. Langdon, North Dakota, recorded a morning low of 14 degrees.
Meanwhile, a cold front extended across the Southeast, the Deep South and the southern Plains. An onshore flow from the Gulf of Mexico collided with this frontal boundary, which fueled rain and thunderstorms across several states. Texarkana, Arkansas, reported a midday total of 1.79 inches of rain. Locally heavy rain and strong thunderstorms impacted central and southern Florida. Flood warnings were issued across several counties. Okeechobee reported a midday total of 1.53 inches of rain.
A separate cold front stretched across the Great Basin and the Intermountain West. This frontal boundary generated light rain and high elevation snow across the region. Moderate to heavy rain formed over the northern Plains on Thursday.
Additionally, a Pacific cold front approached the northwestern corner of the country. Moderate rain developed ahead of this frontal boundary over western Washington and western Oregon. Just to the south, an area of low pressure brought scattered showers and high elevation snow showers to parts of the Southwest.
THURSDAY'S WEATHER EXTREMES:
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F).........................90 Kendall, Fla.
HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F)..........................100 Harlingen, Texas
LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..........................12 Crane Lake, Minn.
LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...........................-9 Mt. Washington, N.H.
HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).................................142 Monarch Pass, Colo.
HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)..........................1.79 Texarkana, Ark.
ON THIS DATE....... Snow fell in the high elevations of Southern California as a strong storm moved across the region on this date in 1988. The storm also produced thunderstorms, and nine girls were injured as lightning hit the tree they had huddled under for shelter.