After an active weekend for almost everyone across the U.S., more storm systems will bring rain, snow and thunderstorms to kick off the week before Christmas. The Breakfast Brief is posted Monday through Friday at 5 a.m. ET.

A cold front sweeping along the Mississippi Valley today will have thunderstorms stretching from Texas to the Ohio Valley with heavy rain mixed in. In the Mid-Atlantic and New England, scattered showers will keep umbrellas up ahead of the larger storm system. Higher-elevation snow is also possible in New York. Have your weather alerts switched on.

On the storm's northern flank, snow will fall in the Upper Midwest as colder temperatures stay in place - luckily warmer than what we saw in the middle of last week.

Drought has been plaguing a large portion of the U.S. with each state, except for Alaska, having at least abnormally dry conditions. This past weekend's rain and snow and today's new system will be very helpful.

In the southern tier, balmy weather in the 60s and 70s will make for a comfortable start to the new week. Check out the TemperatureRadar for your local high-temperature forecast.

The West continues to see rain and snow activity to kick off this week before Christmas. These last four days we saw a few atmospheric river events, and this latest one came ashore last night. Rain and mountain snow will spread across the Pacific Northwest, the northern Rockies and down into central California and the northern Great Basin.

As you prepare to plan your vacation or have plans to travel for the holidays, your chosen location might be the mountains. If you are hitting the slopes, we can help!