A pair of storms affected the country on Monday.
The strongest of these storms began the day over the Great Lakes before moving into eastern Canada. The associated cold front stretched through the Northeast while also arcing into the Southeast.
This front did not have a lot of moisture associated with it, but it did produce a line of showers and thunderstorms through the Southeast and into the Mid Atlantic. As the day progressed, however, rain gradually diminished because the front was cut off from its moisture source in the Gulf of Mexico.
By late afternoon, rain was limited to the Northeast from Maryland through eastern New York.
The second storm moved through the Pacific Northwest and into the Northern Rockies. This storm also did not contain much moisture and only produced light to moderate rain from Washington and Oregon through Montana.
The rest of the country was quite dry, while California and the Southwest continued to be unseasonably warm. Areas in the Southwest once again rose into the 90s due to a high pressure ridge over the region.
The Northeast rose into the 60s and 70s, while the Southeast will see temperatures in the 70s and 80s. The Plains rose into the 70s and 80s, while the Southwest saw temperatures in the 80s and 90s.. MONDAY'S WEATHER EXTREMES:
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F).........................95 Thermal, Calif.
HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F)..........................99 Marathon, Fla.
LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..........................21 Wadena, Minn.
LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...........................-8 Noatak, Alaska
HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).................................71 Mt. Washington, N.H.
HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)..........................1.61 Chattanooga, Tenn.
ON THIS DATE....... Hurricane Hazel made landfall on this date in 1954 over the Carolina coastline. An incredible storm surge was enhanced by the highest lunar tide of the year. The storm took out every pier from Myrtle Beach, SC to Cedar Island, NC. In the end, 98 people died due to the hurricane and damages topped $250 million.
The Associated Press