Breakfast Brief - Spring warmth & storms paint the map

Thunderstorms will be scattered across the eastern two-thirds with pockets of sunshine. The West stays mostly dry except for rain and snow showers in the northern Rockies and High Plains. Spring warmth could also tie or break some Florida records starting Tuesday. The Breakfast Brief is published Monday through Friday at 5:00 a.m. Eastern Time.

A few storm systems will be bringing April showers and thunderstorms today. Starting in the East, a low-pressure system in eastern Canada will continue to sweep its corresponding cold front along the eastern U.S. and down into the Gulf Coast. The WeatherRadar shows scattered rain and thunderstorms stretching from the Houston Metro Area up to Atlanta and the Virginia Beach area, with a second round expected for the Deep South as this front slows down.

Early-morning thunderstorms in the Minneapolis Metro Area will provide a lift for afternoon and evening thunderstorms across the Midwest, including Chicago and Kansas City.

The strongest storms will be found along the western portion of the southern Plains. Fort Stockton, Texas, to Liberal and Wichita, Kan., could see damaging winds and large hail with an isolated tornado possible starting Tuesday afternoon. Have at least three ways to receive weather warnings.

Finally, we'll see spotty rain and snow showers across the northern Rockies and northern High Plains on the WeatherRadar starting in the late morning, local time.

When it comes to spring heat, Florida is in the spotlight for possibly tying a Punta Gorda high-temperature record of 92°F from 2018. Across the southeast, on the eastern side of the rain and thunderstorm activity, temperatures will rise into the 80s and 90s, making it feel like early summer!

Spring is heating up and you can watch the TemperatureRadar to see the warmer color tones move into your area.