The nation's weather

By WEATHER UNDERGROUND , Associated Press

Last update: November 11, 2009 - 5:19 AM

Wet weather was forecast to persist in the South as Tropical Storm Ida continues tacking northeastward up the East Coast on Wednesday.

The system was expected to continue picking up moisture from the Gulf of Mexico and spread scattered showers and thunderstorms over the Mid-Atlantic states, while the Southeastern states could start to dry out.

Strong atmospheric steering at high levels were expected to steer Ida eastward and prevent the storm from moving northward and up the coast.

Flooding was expected to remain a concern over the Lower Mississippi Valley and threaten the Tennessee Valley and Carolinas. Rainfall totals were expected to be between 2 inches and 3 inches in many of these areas with strong and damaging winds with gusts up to 20 mph.

Cool conditions was forecast to accompany the storm with highs only reaching into the 50s in many places.

In the North, a large area of high pressure was expected to remain over the Great Lakes and bring another day of warm and pleasant weather. The Great Lakes and Midwest could see mostly sunny skies with highs in the 50s and 60s, as the Southern Plains return to the 70s on Wednesday.

Out West, cool and dreary weather was expected over the Pacific Northwest again on Wednesday. A trough of low pressure was forecast to push onshore, providing it ample supply of moisture to spread moderate to heavy precipitation over the region throughout the day.

Nearly an inch of rain was expected in lower elevations, while the Cascades and Northern Rockies could see a dusting of snow. They system could also bring another cool day with low level coastal clouds to the rest of the West Coast.

On Tuesday, temperatures in the Lower 48 states ranged from a low of 3 degrees at West Yellowstone, Mont. to a high of 92 degrees at Organ Pipe Cactus, Ariz.

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