By early this week, warmth will cover the eastern U.S., except near the Canadian border.  Farther west, a Pacific storm system will be on the move inland, bearing rain, snow, cooler conditions, and gusty winds.  That system will arrive across the nation’s mid-section early in the week with similar impacts, along with an increasing threat of severe thunderstorms.  Five-day precipitation totals could reach 1 to 2 inches across the upper Midwest and northern Plains, with some precipitation expected to fall as wind-driven snow in the latter region. 

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