Winter storm moves into central, eastern states, dropping widespread rain, snow

A winter storm that dropped over a foot of snow on parts of the central Rockies was moving through the central states early Saturday, threatening to bring rain and snow to the Midwest, South and Northeast.

As the storm moved through Colorado on Friday, the northern Colorado town of Eldorado Springs and the Horsetooth Reservoir picked up over 14 inches of snow.

The storm was forecast to generate up to 8 inches of snow in the western Great Lakes, with as much as a foot on isolated locations. Up to 3 inches of snow was possible in Minnesota and the southern Plains.

Wind gusts of more than 35 mph were expected to accompany the storm, and high pressure was likely to bring clearing to the Plains with the passage of the disturbance.

Rain was forecast for most of the eastern third of the nation with the arrival of the storm system. Heavier rain and some thunderstorms were likely from the eastern Gulf Coast to the Ohio Valley and Appalachians, moving to the Carolinas and mid-Atlantic states by afternoon.

The heaviest storms were expected to produce up to 2 inches of rain, with as much as an inch in areas with showers.

Light snow showers were forecast for the central and southern Rockies, with up to 6 inches of accumulations in parts of northern New Mexico.

Fair skies were expected in the rest of the West. Wind gusts exceeding 40 mph were possible in southern California.

Highs on Saturday were forecast in the single digits and teens in the upper Midwest, northern and central Plains and northern and central Rockies; 20s in the southern Plains; 30s in the Great Lakes, northern Texas and southern Rockies; 40s in the Northeast and Ohio Valley; 50s in the Pacific Northwest, Tennessee Valley, Southwest and coastal South; 60s in the Deep South; and 70s and 80s in California, southern Texas, Gulf Coast and Florida.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states on Friday ranged from a high of 81 in the Texas cities of Brownsville, Wink and Harlingen, to a low of 18 below in Havre, Mont.

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On the Net:

National Weather Service: http://iwin.nws.noaa.gov

Intellicast: http://www.intellicast.com

University of Michigan site: http://cirrus.sprl.umich.edu/wxnet