Santa Cruz, CA

Weather Underground midday recap for Monday, May 21, 2012.

Tropical Storm Alberto experienced little change through Monday afternoon as it became situated about 150 nautical miles east of Jacksonville, Florida. Alberto moved eastward at about 4-5 mph with maximum sustained winds near 40 mph and gusts to 52 mph. While much of the rain associated with this system remained offshore today, dangerous surf conditions, including rip currents, remained possible along the coasts of northeastern Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina. For more information on Tropical Storm Alberto and other tropical activity, please visit http://www.wunderground.com/tropical.

To the north of Alberto, a weakening frontal system and moist easterly winds triggered scattered showers and isolated thunderstorms in areas of southern New York, eastern Pennsylvania, and New Jersey, while light isolated showers brushed portions of the Mid-Atlantic coast southward to the North Carolina coast during the afternoon. Behind this activity, a cold front extending from the Great Lakes into the Southern Plains trekked eastward with modest weather activity this afternoon. Areas of rain and thunderstorms formed ahead of the disturbance in the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys and the central Gulf Coast states. The Upper Great Lakes and portions of the Ohio Valley experienced some relief from yesterday's heat with the passing of this front. To the south, hot daytime highs continued across the Deep South as temperatures reach into the upper 80s and 90s.

In the West, a cold front approached the Pacific Northwest with another batch of light to moderate rain showers. To the south, gusty wind and low relative humidity levels elevated fire weather conditions across much of Nevada and Utah. Further south, temperatures across the Desert Southwest were expected to climb back into the 100 to near 110 degree range Monday afternoon. Heat Advisories and Excessive Heat Watches and Warnings remained in effect for areas of southeastern California and southwestern Arizona.