The nation's weather

Weather Underground Forecast for Thursday, February 28, 2013. A strong storm will continue moving through the Northeast Thursday, bringing more Winter weather from the Great Lakes through New England. This storm will not be as strong as it was over the past few days when it produced over a foot of snow in the Plains and several inches of snow in the Great Lakes, but several inches of snow will fall. Some of this snow will come in the form of lake effect snow downwind of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario, while up to 8 inches of snow is possible in the northern areas of New England such as Maine.

In addition, breezy winds are expected for much of the eastern third of the country due to the presence of this storm. This storm will precede a cold air mass that will invade the eastern half of the country beginning Friday. This Arctic air mass is likely to bring freezing temperatures as far south as northern Florida into the weekend, potentially damaging agriculture in the area.

Elsewhere, a Pacific storm will move into the Northwest, renewing rain and high elevation snow in Washington and Oregon. This precipitation will move into Idaho in the afternoon and evening.

The Northeast will rise into the 30s and 40s, while the Southeast will see temperatures in the 60s and 70s. The Northwest will rise into the 40s and 50s, while the Southwest will see temperatures in the 60s and 70s.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Wednesday have ranged from a morning low of -11 degrees at Gunnison, Colo. to a high of 84 degrees at Naples, Fla.