National Weather Summary for April 3,2014 from weatherunderground.com

Weather Underground midday recap for Thursday,April 3,2014

A cold frontal boundary extended from the southern Plains to the Mid-Atlantic on Thursday, while a separate cold front approached the West Coast.

A cold front stretched from northern Texas to Virginia on Thursday, which triggered severe weather across the Mississippi Valley. Tornado watches were issued across eastern Oklahoma, Missouri, Arkansas, southern Illinois and western Kentucky as a low pressure system ushered strong showers and thunderstorms across the region. A tornado warning was also issued just north of Springfield, Mo., while quarter sized hail also accompanied these strong thunderstorms. Heavy rain impacted a handful of states across the region, as Whiteman AFB, Mo., reported a midday total of 4.47 inches of rain, while Peru, Ind., reported a midday total of 3.00 inches of rain. Snow showers moved across the central Rockies, the central and northern Plains, the upper Midwest and the Great Lakes as a result of this low pressure system. Teller, Colo., reported a midday total of 9.0 inches of snow, while Lake, Minn., reported a midday total of 3.0 inches of snow. The East Coast stayed mostly clear of precipitation on Thursday.

Meanwhile, a weaker cold front approached the West Coast. This system ushered rainy weather across Washington, while spottier showers pushed across parts of Oregon and northern California. High pressure along the coast of southern California kept conditions mostly clear across the Southwest.