A storm system currently drifting northeastward, reaching the vicinity of Lake Huron late Thursday.  The storm’s trailing cold front should clear the Atlantic Coast by Friday.  For Thursday, the severe-weather threat will diminish slightly while shifting into the middle and southern Atlantic States, as well as parts of the Ohio Valley.  Meanwhile, steady rain will spread from the mid-South into the eastern Corn Belt.  Additional rainfall should reach at least 1 to 2 inches in much of the eastern one-third of the U.S., with higher amounts (2 to 4 inches or more) expected in thunderstorms across the Deep South. 

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