Thunderstorms over lower Mississippi Valley, heavy rain in Northwest

Satellite image taken Sunday at 9:45 p.m.

Rain and thunderstorms spread from the southern Plains across the lower Mississippi Valley on Monday, and another storm system poured nearly 2 inches of rain on parts of the Pacific Northwest.

Strong southerly wind delivered moist air from the Gulf of Mexico, helping to produce numerous showers and occasional thunderstorms from eastern sections of Texas and Oklahoma through parts of Louisiana and Arkansas.

Rain also moved north into Missouri and east into Mississippi and western Tennessee during the afternoon.

Radar showed a few light showers extending from Missouri across southern Illinois.

Heavy rain fell on the Pacific Northwest, with light showers and snow showers extending eastward through northern Idaho into Montana.

Bremerton, Washington, collected 1.89 inches of rain by midday, with 1.66 inches at Shelton, Washington; 1.26 at Astoria, Oregon, and 1.25 at Olympia, Washington.

Up to a foot of snow was possible at higher elevations of the Cascade Range in Oregon and Washington.

On the northern Plains, a developing weather front stretched from Montana through northern Nebraska. Only a few isolated flurries had developed by afternoon in sections of Montana, Wyoming, the Dakotas and Nebraska, but more rain and snow was possible during the night.

Elsewhere, light snow was scattered over parts of Wisconsin and Michigan during the morning and early afternoon.

Downwind from Lake Ontario, a band of locally heavy snow moved across parts of New York state.

Monday's temperatures around the Lower 48 states ranged from a morning low of 9 below zero at Bismarck, North Dakota, to a midday reading of 81 at Miami. The lowest wind chill was 15 below zero at Bismarck.