Western U.S. prepares for rainy week

By New York Times

A warmup will be underway across much of the East on Monday as high pressure strengthens off the North Carolina and South Carolina coasts allowing warm air to surge across the region. Daytime highs will be as much as 5 to 15 degrees above average for late March. Spotty showers are forecast across western Ohio and much of the Appalachian Mountains as well as thunderstorms across much of Florida. The remainder of the East will be dry.

Across the Plains, warm, dry conditions are forecast across the region. From western Texas to southwestern South Dakota, dry conditions combined with gusty winds will promote the risk for wildfires.

Warmth will linger across portions of the Southwest. There may be a spotty thunderstorm and wind gusts in the afternoon across eastern Arizona and western New Mexico as well into western Colorado. Lightning from the thunderstorm may lead to an elevated risk of wildfires.

Farther north, a storm moving across Montana will bring a wintry mix across portions of Idaho and Montana. Temperatures will be cool across the Northwest on Monday, as much as 10 to 15 degrees below average.

Stormy for Western U.S. midweek

A potent storm is forecast to move into the Pacific Northwest early Wednesday, bringing wet weather through Thursday. Rain is expected in lower elevations, while falling snow levels allow for a wintry mix in the high elevations from Washington to Colorado.

This article originally appeared in The New York Times.