Area Weather

NATIONAL SUMMARY -A large and moist storm system spread rain from the mid-Mississippi Valley to the Northeast on Thursday, while the storm's cold front triggered heavy thunderstorms over the South. Two tornadoes touched down in southern Mississippi and Louisiana, while other scattered storms produced wind damage from Tennessee to Florida. High pressure hovering near Maine allowed for the rain to change over to snow that moved into northern New England. Other areas farther south and east to Pennsylvania experienced some freezing rain as temperatures at the surface remained below freezing. High pressure allowed for a dry day from the Upper Midwest south along the Plains. Similarly, the Southwest enjoyed plenty of sunshine. Meanwhile, a fairly weak storm advancing across the northern Rockies and the northern part of the Great Basin brought some high-elevation snow and low-elevation rain showers. In the wake of the storm, the weather slowly turned drier over much of Washington and Oregon. SPECIAL WEATHER Anniversary of a Severe Weather Outbreak -On Jan. 27, 1994, a significant severe weather outbreak impacted parts of the South. Numerous thunderstorms helped spawn several small tornadoes from Texas to Mississippi. Pea-sized hail from a storm piled up four inches deep in Temple, Texas, while golf ball-sized hail pelted Lorena, Texas. Meanwhile, slow-moving showers and storms dumped 8.70 inches of rain on Natchez, Miss., while Effie, La., picked up 6.25 inches. WEATHER HIGHLIGHTS Records from Thursday: -Washington (Dulles Airport), D.C., tied the record high minimum of 40 degrees, previously set in 1967. -Santa Barbara, Calif., set a record high of 85 degrees, breaking the record of 82 degrees set in 1947. -Alma, Ga., set a record high of 83 degrees, breaking the record of 82 degrees set in 1950. -Campo, Calif., set a record high of 81 degrees, smashing the record of 77 degrees set in 1998. -Stockton, Calif., tied the record high of 66 degrees, previously set in 1984. -Jackson, Ky., tied the record of 63 degrees, previously set in 2004. -Bozeman, Mont., tied the record high of 50 degrees, previously set in 2003, 2007, and 2008. -Meridian, Miss., had 2.33 inches of rain, breaking the record of 2.24 inches set in 1996. -Hattiesburg, Miss., had 1.59 inches of rain, breaking the record of 0.98 inches set in 2008. -Cincinnati, Ohio, had 1.57 inches of rain, breaking the record of 1.41 inches set in 1950. Snowfall Reports, as of 11 P.M. EST Thursday: -Wells, N.Y.: 2.0" -Indian Lake, N.Y.: 1.5" -Queensbury, N.Y.: 1.5" -Saratoga Springs, N.Y.: 1.5" -Waterbury, Vt.: 1.3" -Warrensburg, N.Y.: 1.0" -Worcester, Vt.: 0.9" 24-Hour Rainfall Totals, as of 1 A.M. EST Friday: Birmingham, AL 2.34" Meridian, MS 2.33" McComb, MS 2.24" Baton Rouge, LA 2.13" Albertville, AL 2.05" Hammond, LA 2.02" Laurel, MS 2.01" Columbus, OH 1.71" Wilmington, OH 1.68" Dayton, OH 1.66" Tuscaloosa, AL 1.64" Boothville, LA 1.63" Hamilton, OH 1.62" Chattanooga, TN 1.61" Scottsboro, AL 1.60" Hattiesburg, MS 1.59" Cincinnati, OH 1.57" Louisville, KY 1.52" Springfield, OH 1.45" Slidell, LA 1.43" Clarksville, TN 1.43" Cullman, AL 1.40" Alabaster, AL 1.38" Fort Knox, KY 1.34" DAILY EXTREMES National High Yesterday 86 at Chatsworth, California National Low Yesterday -9 at Farson, Wyoming COPYRIGHT 2012 ACCUWEATHER, INC