NATIONAL WEATHER SUMMARY

SEPTEMBER 2004

1st-4th...Rain and thunderstorms hit parts the West, Deep South and Southeast
on Wednesday, while the central states had clear skies and mild temperatures.
The Carolinas had the most rain, with South Carolina picking up more than 2
inches. About a half-inch fell across Alabama, Georgia and Florida. High
pressure from the Plains through the Upper Midwest and the Mississippi River
Valley led to clear skies and pleasant temperatures. It was also clear and dry
in the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Ohio Valley. Portions of western and
southern Texas had light rain, with Port Arkansas, Texas, getting more than an
inch. Further north, scattered showers moved across the Great Lakes. Light rain
also fell from the Pacific Northwest into the northern Rockies, although
temperatures remained mild.
In the East, showers and thunderstorms continued to push across the Ohio
Valley; however, rainfall amounts remained light into the early afternoon. More
isolated showers lingered over portions of the Tennessee Valley and the Gulf
Coast states. Precipitation amounts were insignificant. To the east, showers
and thunderstorms lingered off the Carolina Coast in association with a
stationary boundary in the region, but the bulk of the activity was observed
offshore. In Florida, a few isolated showers began moving across the Peninsula
ahead of Hurricane Frances. With the exception of a few isolated showers in
northern Maine, the Northeast and the Mid-Atlantic were dry with partly cloudy
skies.
In the central third of the Nation, scattered showers and thunderstorms
remained over southern and eastern Texas as well as the lower Mississippi
Valley. Rainfall was locally heavy in portions of Texas, and amounts reached
one inch in places. To the north, widely scattered showers and thunderstorms
trekked across the northern Plains. Although rainfall amounts were light, winds
did gust up to 30 mph in areas. The central Plains and the Midwest were dry
with clear to partly cloudy skies. In the West, widely scattered showers and
imbedded thunderstorms continued to spread over portions of the Great Basin and
the northern Rockies. Rainfall was light to locally moderate in areas, wind
gusts up to 40 mph were experienced in parts of Idaho and Utah. The remainder
of the region from the Pacific Northwest to the Desert Southwest was dry with
partly cloudy skies.
Strong wind and rain from Hurricane Frances ravaged swaths of Florida on
Sunday, submerging entire roadways and tearing off rooftops as the storm
crawled inland. Much of the remainder of the East Coast was dry, while the
Plains saw showers and thunderstorms. Up to 11 inches of rain fell along
Florida's central east coast and caused scattered flooding as Frances edged
across the state toward Tampa. Elsewhere in the region, from the Gulf Coast
states to the Northeast, there were mainly partly cloudy skies and dry
conditions. The Great Lakes region was also mostly dry. In the central United
States, showers and thunderstorms continued to spread across much of the Plains
as a system trekked through the region. In the West, there were light showers
in parts of Wyoming and Colorado.
But much of the rest of the region had clear to partly cloudy skies and was
dry.

5th-11th...In the East, Tropical Storm Frances spawned numerous tornadoes over
Florida, Georgia, and South Carolina today. Tornadoes in Florida were in the
following cities: Jupiter, Saint Cloud, and Bartow. In Georgia, tornadoes were
in these cities: Hinesville, Midway, Golden Isles, Riverside, and Savannah.
South Carolina also had tornadoes in the following cities: Bluffton and Hilton
Head Island. In Savannah, Georgia, there was building damage and windows blown
out, along with numerous downed trees and powerlines. In Hinesville, Georgia,
blinding wind and rain crossed Highway 144. In Midway, Georgia, a roof was
blown off a house on Lake Shore Drive. Heavy rainfall also accompanied these
storms. Some of the highest amounts included 3.65 inches in Valdosta, Georgia;
2.66 inches in Alma, Georgia; 3.92 inches in Tampa, Florida; and 3.89 inches in
Saint Petersburgh, Florida. Elsewhere, a cold front is currently pushing
through the Great Lakes Region and Lower Midwest, triggering scattered showers
and thunderstorms. None of these have been severe so far today. Otherwise,
conditions were calm over the Northeast. In the central and western portions of
the United States, conditions were mainly calm. The only exception currently is
across the southern Plains, Lower Mississippi Valley, and Missouri Valley where
the tail end of the aforementioned cold front is producing showers and
thunderstorms. None of these storms have been severe so far today. Rainfall
was, however, heavy in some places across Texas.
In the East, Tropical Depression Frances continued to track across the
Appalachians today. It triggered a total of 17 tornadoes over North Carolina,
Virginia, and Maryland. There was damage to a trailer and school bus in
Jackson, North Carolina and roof damage to a home on South Plank Road in
Cameron, North Carolina. In Virginia, tornadoes did extensive damage as well.
While the rain remains heavy in the East, the Central and West were mainly
dominated by high pressure and dry weather. The only exceptions were some
scattered showers and thunderstorms over southern California and Arizona due to
moisture, as well as the Pacific Northwest due to a disturbance just to the
north. Some isolated showers are also moving through the northern Plains at
this time due to a weak low pressure system. Otherwise, the high pressure
continued to bring partly cloudy skies and dry conditions to the remainder of
the Plains and the West.
Rain and thunder stretched from the Carolina coast to the Florida Panhandle on
Friday, while dry weather dominated New England and the Great Lakes. A low
pressure system in Canada dragged a cold, rainy front through the Dakotas,
Nebraska and Minnesota. Rain and thunderstorms also crossed the southern tip of
Texas. The rest of the Plains and the Mississippi Valley were sunny and dry.
Florida was hit with 90-degree heat and humidity as Hurricane Ivan threatened
the state with its third thrashing in month. The storm is expected to arrive on
Monday. In the West, widely scattered showers tapered off across the Desert
Southwest, the Four Corners region and the Rockies. The remainder of the West
was partly cloudy and dry.

12th-18th...In the East, showers and thunderstorms affected the Tennessee
Valley, Deep South, Southeast, and Florida all day and are continuing at this
time. Elsewhere, skies were partly cloudy with dry conditions across the Ohio
Valley, Great Lakes Region, Northeast, and Middle Atlantic. In the Central
United States, a strong cold front is continuing to trigger a line of showers
and thunderstorms across the northern and central Plains. The line is currently
starting to push into the Upper Midwest. Some of the storms produced hail
across the following towns: Hartington, Nebraska; Petersburg, Nebraska;
Norcatur, Kansas; Elgin, Nebraska; Wakonda, South Dakota; Centerville, South
Dakota; and Beresford, South Dakota. No structural damage has been reported,
but some trees were blown down in Oakdale, Nebraska. Further south, scattered
showers and thunderstorms also affected the coastal areas of Texas and
Louisiana. Otherwise, conditions were calm across the remainder of the Plains,
most of the Missouri Valley, and the Lower Midwest. In the West, widespread
showers and thunderstorms affected the Pacific Northwest, northern Great Basin,
and northern Rockies due to a broad upper-level trough. One strong cell
produced a funnel cloud in Ridgefield, Washington that knocked down trees.
Elsewhere, some light showers lingered along a stationary boundary over Utah
and Colorado. Otherwise, areas from California to the southern Rockies were dry
with clear to partly cloudy skies.
Heavy rain spread across parts of the Upper Midwest on Wednesday while
Hurricane Ivan began spreading showers into the Southeast. As Ivan headed north
toward the Gulf Coast, by early afternoon rain had started spreading along the
shore from the Florida Panhandle to the southeastern tip of Louisiana. A
combination of a strong low pressure system over the Upper Mississippi Valley
and a cold front produced numerous scattered showers and thunderstorms from the
eastern Dakotas across Minnesota and Wisconsin. The wet weather also extended
from Wisconsin through Illinois and parts of Iowa into Missouri. An estimated
10 inches of rain or more fell overnight in southeastern Minnesota, causing
flooding that closed schools and roads. As much as 5.8 inches fell in northern
Iowa. The showers and thunderstorms were expect to move eastward into the upper
Great Lakes and Ohio Valley states. Along the mid-Atlantic Coast, showers and
thunderstorms developed from the extreme northeastern corner of North Carolina
through parts of Virginia, Maryland, Delaware and New Jersey. Norfolk, Va.,
measured 2.09 inches of rain. Elsewhere, a few light showers spread over parts
of Washington, northeastern Idaho and western Montana.
Hurricane Ivan slammed into the central Gulf Coast on Thursday, spawning
tornadoes and packing heavy rain and winds of up to 130 mph that tore through
parts of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. The storm
weakened slightly as it moved into interior portions of the Southeast and
Tennessee Valley. Farther north, scattered rain hit the Great Lakes and Ohio
Valley. High pressure brought partly cloudy and dry conditions in the
Northeast,
Mid-Atlantic and eastern Great Lakes. It also was dry in the northern and
central Plains, upper Midwest, western Great Lakes and Missouri Valley. Showers
developed in parts of Kansas and Oklahoma. In the West, light rain dampened the
Pacific Northwest, northern Great Basin and northern Rockies as a disturbance
pushed in from the coast.
In the East, scattered showers and thunderstorms continued to affect the
Northeast, the Mid-Atlantic, the Ohio Valley, the Appalachians, the Tennessee
Valley, the Carolinas and the Southeast as remnants of Hurricane Ivan and a
cold front moved through the area. Through the late morning hours and into the
early afternoon, these storms generated moderate to locally heavy rainfall,
wind gusts up to 35 mph, and isolated lightning strikes. The Gulf Coast states
and the Great Lakes remained dry with variably cloudy skies. In the central
third of the nation, isolated showers and thunderstorms continued to trek
across northern Iowa and southern Minnesota. Locally heavy rainfall in the area
resulted in flood warnings for rivers and streams in northern Iowa. More
isolated showers and thunderstorms moved across northern Kansas. Several of
these storms became severe during the late morning hours. The remainder of the
Plains and the Mississippi Valley were controlled by high pressure with mostly
sunny skies and dry weather. In the West, widely scattered showers lingered
over portions of the Pacific Northwest. Precipitation through the late morning
was light into the early afternoon. Elsewhere, high pressure resulted in mostly
sunny skies and dry weather from the Rockies to California.
The storm that was once Hurricane Ivan dampened the East Coast and brought
thunderstorms down to the Carolinas on Saturday, while dry weather dominated
the Plains and upper Midwest. Flash flood warnings were issued in eastern
Pennsylvania and southern New York, and a few light showers lingered over
Florida. Light rain drizzled over parts of Missouri and Kansas, bringing
frequent flashes of lightning. High pressure provided cloudy and dry weather
across most of the Plains, upper Midwest and lower Mississippi Valley. The
southern Rockies and most of California were partly cloudy and dry, although
most of the West saw some precipitation. Light rain spread over portions of the
Desert Southwest due to Tropical Storm Javier, located south of the Baja
Peninsula.

19th-25th...Showers and thunderstorms developed over hurricane-battered Florida
on
Monday, while widespread storms peppered the Plains, Midwest and parts of the
West. The East was sunny. High pressure brought dry conditions from the Ohio
and Tennessee valleys through the Mid-Atlantic states and into the Northeast
and Southeast. Temperatures were in the 50s in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic
region but mild elsewhere. In Florida, showers and thunderstorms were reported
across the state although accumulations were light to moderate; Vero Beach
reported more than 1 1/2 inches of rain. Widespread showers and thunderstorms
were reported through the Plains and upper Midwest. In the West, widely
scattered showers and thunderstorms also continued over the Rockies and
mountain states, although rain was light. The Southwest and California stayed
dry.
Rain was widespread in the center of the nation Wednesday while snow fell in
the Colorado Rockies. Conditions were mostly calm elsewhere. A cold front
stretching from Minnesota to the Texas Panhandle produced showers and
thunderstorms in the Plains and the Mississippi River Valley. Goodland, KS.,
reported 1.29 inches of rain, while McCook,NE, received 1.30 inches and Alice,
Texas, 1.19 inches. Clear weather prevailed in the lower Midwest, Missouri
Valley and lower Mississippi Valley. High pressure brought fair skies to most
of the East. Light rain
dampened southern Florida. In the West, rain and mountain snow spread in the
Colorado Rockies. Red Feathers Lake in north-central Colorado reported 8 inches
of snow in less than 24 hours. Skies remained partly cloudy with cool
temperatures across the Pacific Northwest, Great Basin and the Desert
Southwest.
Clear skies dominated both ends of the country Friday, while tropical
depression Ivan pounded the Gulf Coast to Missouri with rain and thunderstorms
and a separate system spread showers from the Great Lakes to Texas. In the
East, there were isolated rain showers in southern Florida, but sunshine and
dry conditions elsewhere from the Great Lakes region to the Atlantic coast.
Similar clear and dry conditions were reported in the West, with only isolated
light showers in Wyoming and Colorado. In the nation's central states, however,
a cold front triggered storms from the western Great Lakes through northern
Texas. And rain in Arkansas, Louisiana, southern Missouri and Texas was being
influenced by Ivan, with downpours heavy at times. Lufkin, Texas, reported
nearly 3 inches from the storm.

26th-30th...Tropical depression Jeanne moved through Georgia on Monday,
bringing torrential rain across the state as well as northern Florida, while
scattered rain in Texas triggered flash flooding. Most of the rest of the
nation was dry. In the East, Jeanne's winds slowly decreased to 35 mph as the
storm made its way through central Georgia, but torrential rain produced flash
flooding across the state and northern Florida. Macon, GA, reported 3 inches of
rain by midday; Marianna, FL, reported over 1 inch. The rest of the East was
partly cloudy and dry. In the country's midsection, scattered showers and
thunderstorms continued over western Texas, with flash flood warnings in much
of the southwest part of the state. Showers also developed in New Mexico, with
some heavy rain. Clear and dry conditions prevailed over the rest of the West.
Remnants of Hurricane Jeanne dumped heavy rain, triggered thunderstorms and
drove damaging wind Tuesday from North Carolina into the Northeast. Elsewhere,
widely scattered rain developed in the southern Plains and in western mountains
and deserts. In the East, Jeanne brought more than 3 1/2 inches of rain to
Roanoke,VA, by midday, and more than 2 inches in the Southeast and mid-Atlantic
regions. Strong wind also caused damage across Virginia and North Carolina. In
the nation's midsection, showers and thunderstorms, kicked off by a cold front,
developed in Oklahoma, Kansas and Missouri. Scattered showers and thunderstorms
also were reported in Texas. In the northern Plains, it was partly cloudy and
dry. In the West, widely scattered showers and thunderstorms developed in the
mountain states and the desert Southwest. But partly cloudy skies and dry
conditions prevailed elsewhere.
In the East and Central, high pressure is in control. There are four exceptions
to this. The first is the remnants of Jeanne that provided rain to Rhode
Island, southern Maine, Connecticut, and eastern Massachusetts. Rain has been
heavy at times this morning. Elsewhere in the East, an upper level feature is
currently spinning in the Ohio Valley and providing light showers to much of
the state of Ohio. Rainfall has been light with accumulations of a trace to a
quarter of an inch of rain. The third exception is in the Southeast, where
showers are developing just north of a cold front in southern Alabama. Rain has
been light. The final exception in the Northern Plains. Here a second cold
front is moving east. A line of light showers have developed along the front in
western North Dakota. Rainfall has been light here as well. In the West, an
upper-level disturbance combined with abundant moisture, continues to provide
widely scattered showers across the central and southern Rockies, Four Corners
Region, and eastern parts of the Desert Southwest. These storms produced
occasional lightning strikes and some brief downpours. Window Rock, Arizona has
reported 0.55 inches of rainfall. Partly cloudy skies and dry conditions
prevailed across the Pacific Northwest, the Great Basin, and California, as
high pressure dominated the regions.