A cold front crossing the southern and eastern U.S. will become more active while entraining disorganized moisture from the tropics.  Over the next several days, an axis of rain stretching from Texas to the southern Appalachians will reduce the wildfire threat and benefit emerging winter grains and cover crops.  Most areas will receive no more than 1 to 2 inches of rain, but 5-day totals could top 4 inches in coastal Texas.  Meanwhile, most of the remainder of the country— including large sections of the Plains, Midwest, and West—will experience dry weather.  However, periods of rain and high-elevation snow will continue to spread inland along the northern Pacific Coast, with most of the precipitation advancing no further than the Cascades. 

…