Lander, WY

Weather Underground midday recap for Saturday, February 04, 2012.

Snow moved from the Central Plains, up the Ohio River Valley, while moderate to heavy showers and thunderstorms continued across the Southeast on Saturday. A strong low pressure system that brought heavy snow and blizzard conditions to the Central Plains continued moving eastward and over the Mid-Mississippi River Valley. This system created periods of heavy rain and snow showers over most of the Eastern US. Cool temperatures to the north allowed for snow showers to stretch from Nebraska through the Ohio River Valley. Snowfall accumulation ranged from 4 to 8 inches in eastern Nebraska and Iowa, while a light mix of freezing rain and snow showers reached into Ohio. At the same time, a cold front extended southward from this system and moved over the Lower Mississippi River Valley and into the Tennessee Valley. Warm and moist air from the Gulf of Mexico poured in ahead of this cold front, and triggered moderate to heavy showers and thunderstorms. Some of these storms have turned severe with strong and damaging winds. Rainfall totals ranged from 2 to 3 inches from eastern Texas through the Lower Mississippi River. Heaviest rainfall was reported at Alexandria, Louisiana with a mid-day total of 3.15 inches.

Meanwhile out West, a ridge of high pressure remained the dominant weather feature over the West Coast. This created another dry and sunny day across the Pacific Northwest and California.