Manihiki, Cook Islands

Weather Underground midday recap for Wednesday, May 23, 2012.

Unsettled weather formed across the Northwest and Upper Midwest on Wednesday as a trough of low pressure settled over the northwestern quadrant of the nation. Moisture streaming across the region continued to support areas of light to moderate rain showers from the Pacific Northwest through the Northern Rockies with chances of snow in the higher elevations of the Northern Rockies. Meanwhile, a cold front from the West moved across the Upper Midwest, Central Plains, and Central High Plains this afternoon and brought rain and thunderstorms to areas of Minnesota and the Dakotas. The Storm Prediction Center issued a slight risk of severe weather development statement for areas from the Upper Midwest and Central Plains into northeastern Colorado through the afternoon and evening. While the main concerns with these storms were damaging wind gusts and very large hail, a couple of isolated tornadoes were also possible.

In the Southwest, fire weather danger remained high across the Southwest as above normal temperatures, single digit relative humidity levels, and windy weather conditions persisted in many areas.

In the East, a few showers continued across the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic during the afternoon as a frontal system lingered across the Eastern Seaboard. Meanwhile, heavy rain and strong thunderstorms with gusty winds persisted across the southern tip of Florida. Saturated grounds from the heavy rainfall that occurred yesterday combined with today\'s rainfall resulted in Flood Watches in Miami-Dade County. Additional rainfall accumulations were expected to range from 1 to 2 inches through tonight with locally higher amounts possible in more concentrated bands of rain.