Northwest

Weather Underground midday recap for Friday, December 25, 2009.

An intense storm system that moved through the Plains Christmas Day brought snow and other freezing precipitation to the region and portions of the Great Lakes area. A cold front associated with the storm stretched from the Great Lakes to New England, then down the Atlantic coast, where another storm system began to strengthen over the Carolinas. This new low helped to fuel heavy rain up and down the eastern seaboard, but especially in the Southeast.

To the north and inland where temperatures were cooler, patches of freezing rain developed, mostly in high elevation areas.

While the East saw mostly wet precipitation due to the warmer temperatures, the western Plains received a shock of cold air on the back side of the Plains low. Temperatures in the northwestern Plains remained stuck in the single digits by early afternoon.

West of the Rockies, temperatures were closer to normal as clear skies allowed warm sunshine in. While skies throughout the West were clear, just off the coast in the Pacific, cloud cover pushed its way towards the beaches. These clouds were forecast to move in over the weekend bringing cooler temperatures, gusty winds and light precipitation.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Friday have ranged from a morning low of -24 degrees at Havre, Mont. to a midday high of 82 degrees at West Palm Beach, Fla.