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Weather Underground midday recap for Thursday, August 07, 2008.

A front swept through the Southeast and the Southern Plains and triggered a line of thunderstorms on Thursday. The storms in the Southeast turned severe and produced heavy rain, hail, and damaging winds across the region, although no tornadoes had been reported yet. Quarter size hail was reported in Boaz, Alabama, while Wadesboro, North Carolina and Tallahassee, Florida both saw quarter to golf ball size hail. Numerous trees and power lines were damaged due to the high winds, and flash flood watches and warnings were issued in some areas due to the heavy rainfall. Despite the precipitation, temperatures across the Southeast were in the 80s and 90s, and some areas ahead of the front rose to 100 degrees.

A round of showers and storms moved through the Northeast as well due to a trough that covered the area on Thursday. The storms were mostly in New England with a few in the Mid-Atlantic, and many of the storms became severe, producing hail, heavy rain, and gusty winds across the area. Golf ball size hail covered roads in Bellows Falls, Vermont, while it hailed for ten minutes in West Hartford, Connecticut. Several trees and power lines were blown over by the strong winds, while flash flood and flood watches and warnings were issued across New England. Temperatures were generally in the 60s and 70s in New England, and parts of the Mid-Atlantic rose to 90 degrees.

The northern half of the Plains saw mostly clear conditions as high pressure moved into the region on Thursday. Meanwhile, the front that extended from the east produced rain and strong thunderstorms across the Southern Plains from Kansas down to central Texas. A few flash flood and flood warnings were issued across the region as a result of heavy rain from the storms. Temperatures ranged from the 70s and 80s across most of the Plains to the 90s and 100s in Texas and Oklahoma.

Monsoon moisture flowed up to the Northwest on Thursday, which fueled scattered showers and storms across the region. Temperatures rose to the 60s and 70s in the Pacific Northwest, and the 80s and 90s farther inland.

The Southwest saw a considerable amount of monsoon moisture on Thursday, and showers and storms covered the entire region except for northern and central California. The heavy rain associated with the storms prompted flood and flash flood watches and warnings throughout the Southwest. Despite the rainfall, temperatures across the regions rose into the 80s and 90s, with 100s in the deserts.

Temperatures in the Lower 48 states Thursday have ranged from a morning low of 37 degrees at Berthoud Pass, Colo to a midday high of 109 degrees at El Centro, Calif.