The nation's weather

Weather Underground midday recap for Tuesday, February 26, 2013.

Heavy rain and wintry precipitation spread into the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic on Tuesday as the strong storm system in the Southern Plains advanced northeastward through the Mid-Mississippi Valley and into the Ohio Valley. Cold air on the northern and western sides of this storm supported swaths of heavy snow showers from eastern Kansas through Missouri and into west-central Illinois. Snow accumulation in these regions are expected to range from 6 to 12 inches by Tuesday night, while heavier snow bands of up to 15 inches were possible in isolated areas. Lighter snowfall with a mix of freezing rain and sleet at times developed across the southern Great Lakes as the storm progressed northeastward, kicking up expected snowfall totals of 3 to 6 inches. Meanwhile, to the south, light showers and thunderstorms formed in the Southeast, ahead of an associated cold front that trekked toward the southeastern coast of the nation. Storms ahead of this disturbance, in much of the South Atlantic Coast States, had the potential to turn severe with isolated damaging wind gusts and tornadoes. As of this afternoon, there have been numerous damaging wind events in northern Florida with reports of downed power lines and trees as well as property damage. Additional moderate to heavy rain spread into the Mid-Atlantic, while a wintry mix of precipitation blanketed the Central Appalachians.

Elsewhere, a frontal boundary dropped across the Northwest and supported light to moderate snow showers in the Intermountain West and Rockies.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Tuesday have ranged from a morning low of -7 degrees at Gunnison, Colo. to a midday high of 87 degrees at Ft Pierce, Fla.