Thursday's forecast: Rainy East, sunny West
Occasional rain is expected across much of the Southeast, Ohio Valley, interior Northeast and Mid-Atlantic Thursday as a cold front slowly moves toward the Eastern Seaboard. Even with the rain, temperatures should reach into the mild 60s and 70s for most areas, and Florida and the coastal Carolinas should see highs in the 80s.
The other damp regions on Thursday will be the northern Rockies and northern Plains, where light rain and mountain snow showers are in the forecast. Temperatures will mostly stay in the cool 30s and 40s.
Clear weather is forecast for the Midwest, Northwest and Southwest, with typical mid-October temperatures expected in most areas.
Weather history for Oct. 17: In 1950, Hurricane King hit Miami with sustained winds of 122 mph and gusts over 150 mph. In 1977, much of Pennsylvania was hit with a powerful snowstorm, which felled thousands of trees and power lines. In 2003, a strong storm brought damaging winds to Montana. Near Babb, Mont., winds gusted to 106 mph.