Sultan, WA

Weather Underground midday recap for Friday, January 27, 2012.

Two strong weather systems affected the nation on Friday. In the East, a low pressure system over the Northeast continued to pull into eastern Canada. However, a frontal boundary associated with this system produced more rain showers along the coasts of New England, while snow and freezing rain showers developed north of this system. At the same time, counter-clockwise flow forced moisture around to the back side of this system, which kicked up more snow showers across parts of the Lower Great Lakes. Snowfall accumulation ranged from 1 to 2 inches across the Lower Great Lakes and New York state, while parts of Maine saw 3 to 5 inches of new snow. To the south, a cold front stretched down the East Coast, which quickly pushed offshore and into the Atlantic Ocean. This brought early showers and thunderstorms to the coastal regions of the Mid-Atlantic states and Northeast. The tail end of this system lingered over Florida and kicked up cloudy skies with a few light rain showers.

In the Plains, a low pressure system moved off the Rockies and through the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest. The system pushed a strong cold front eastward with it, which produced snow showers in the North, while freezing rain and rain showers developed in the Central Plains. This system moved into the Upper and Mid-Mississippi River Valley throughout the day. The tail end of this cold front lingered over the Central Rockies and brought produced a few more snow showers. Parts of Colorado saw another 3 to 5 inches of new snow. The rest of the Western US saw a break in wet and snowy conditions as a ridge of high pressure built in from the west.