A frontal system kicked up showers and thunderstorms in the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest as the system trekked eastward across southern Manitoba, Canada and the Dakotas.
Additional showers developed along the southern portion of the system in parts of Montana through the afternoon. Areas of the Upper Mississippi Valley and the Upper Midwest remained at slight risk of severe thunderstorm development with possible large hail and damaging wind gusts.
In the East, a slow moving cold front with waves of low pressure kicked up more showers and thunderstorms near the East Coast. Areas from southern New England through the eastern Carolinas remained at slight risk of severe thunderstorm development. While the main concerns with these storms were damaging wind gusts and hail, brief isolated tornadoes were also possible.
In the West, monsoon moisture remained in place across the Desert Southwest and sparked chances of afternoon and evening showers and thunderstorms in the deserts and higher elevations. To the north, gusty winds and low relative humidity levels translated into fire weather conditions for much of the Pacific Northwest, areas from southern Idaho through Nebraska and into western Iowa.
WEDNESDAY'S WEATHER EXTREMES:
HIGHEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F).........................102 Pecos, Texas
HIGHEST HEAT INDEX (DEGREES F)..........................110 Ellington Field, Texas
LOWEST TEMPERATURE (DEGREES F)..........................32 West Yellowstone, Mont.
LOWEST WIND CHILL (DEGREES F)...........................32 Pinedale, Wyo.
HIGHEST WIND GUST (MPH).................................59 Buffalo, Wyo.
HIGHEST PRECIPITATION (INCHES)..........................1.92 Islip, N.Y.
ON THIS DATE....... During your next bad day, think of this story. On this date in 1985, a farmhand working near Whitehall, NY, was struck by lightning. As if this was not bad enough, on the way to the hospital his ambulance was also struck by lightning.
The Associated Press