Warm front soaks East; Cold front blasts nation's middle section

A strong warm front will bring widespread precipitation to the East Saturday, while the Northeast stays cold and dry and a cold front continues pushing through the nation's middle section.

In the East, most of the snow will fall in the Upper Ohio Valley, the northern Appalachians and the Lower Great Lakes. Snow is expected to mix with and change to freezing rain.

Arctic high pressure will build from southeastern Canada into the Northeast, bringing dry, but cold conditions to New England and the eastern and far northern Great Lakes. Mostly dry conditions and mild temperatures are forecast for the eastern Gulf Coast.

A strong storm system and associated cold front will continue pushing through the nation's middle section.

Meanwhile, very cold air wrapping around the storm system will result in more snow for the eastern Central Plains and the Lower Midwest.

Arctic high pressure will keep the Upper Midwest and the western Great Lakes dry.

High pressure will bring mainly tranquil conditions to much of the Rocky Mountains and the Intermountain region.

A storm system over the eastern Pacific will spread rain into the far West.

High temperatures Saturday were forecast for the single digits above and below zero over much of New England and the eastern Great Lakes; single digits and teens in the Great Lakes and northern Upper Midwest; teens and 20s in lower New England; 20s and 30s in the Upper Midwest, the Northern Plains, the Central Plains and the central and southern Rockies; 30s and 40s in eastern slopes of the central Appalachians; 40s and 50s in the Intermountain Region, the Pacific Northwest and northern California; 50s and 60s in the southern Appalachians, the Southeast, and middle Mississippi Valley; 60s and 70s in southern California and the Desert Southwest; 70s in the central and eastern Gulf Coast; 80s in central and southern Florida and far southern Texas.

Temperatures in the continental United States on Friday ranged from 36 degrees below zero in Whitefield, N.H., to 82 degrees in McAllen, Texas.