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Weather Underground Forecast for Monday, November 09, 2009.

Hurricane Ida will remain the biggest weather story of the nation on Monday as the late season storm continues tracking northward through the Gulf of Mexico, toward southeastern Louisiana and the Florida Panhandle. The system will begin the day as a Category 2 hurricane, but may weaken to Category 1 strength by the evening hours due to high wind shear and cooler waters. Periods of heavy downpours, strong thunderstorms damaging winds, and dangerous storm surges will accompany Ida during her progression. For more information on this storm, please see http://www.wunderground.com/tropical/.

Meanwhile, several other areas of unsettling weather activity will develop across the nation on Monday.

In the Southeast, low pressure in the western Gulf of Mexico will continue to produce active weather in eastern Texas and southern Louisiana. Energy from the system will combine with rich gulf moisture to produce light to moderate showers and isolated thunderstorms, with areas of heavy rainfall along the central Gulf Coast through the morning and afternoon.

To the north, gulf moisture will also mingle with a fairly dry cold front to produce light scattered showers from the Upper Great Lakes through the Southern Plains.

In the West, a strong Pacific cold front will bring more rain and high- elevation snowfall to the Pacific Northwest. Meanwhile, California will kick off the work-week with beautiful conditions as high pressure strengthens over the state. Expect areas of morning fog and low clouds near the coast and higher daytime temperatures in the afternoon.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Sunday ranged from a low of 7 degrees at Charleston, Nev. to a high of 87 degrees at Naples, Fla.