Breakfast brief - Frigid but calm Friday

After a busy week of heavy snow, downpours and a few flooding spots, the work week ends on a much quieter, albeit cold, note. The Breakfast Brief is published daily, Monday through Friday, at 5:00 a.m., Eastern time.

The big story continues about an Arctic blast that settled across the central, southern, and eastern U.S. The TemperatureRadar shows a sub-freezing start as far south as Houston and Jacksonville, Fla., with sub-zero temperatures across the central Plains. Highs will only get into the 40s across Texas, the South and Southeast, while much of the Plains, Midwest, and Northeast stays in the 20s and low 30s.

In addition to the cold weather, the WeatherRadar shows lingering lake-effect snow hitting upstate New York and northwestern Pennsylvania. With the arctic temperatures in place, slick roads are likely.

The Northwest will experience a few showers and downpours later today. The Southwest, California, and the Mountain West will be mostly sunny. The Southwest and southern California will be in the 70s, with the 60s found across northern and central California. The rest of the West will be in the 40s and 50s.