The first of what is likely to be many gusty clippers for the autumn and winter seasons is traversing the Upper Midwest through the Great Lakes and Northeast today, dragging a cold front along its southern portion. This, along with our tropical update, is available at 5 a.m. ET in our daily briefing.

Much of the U.S. is quiet today except for those being impacted by an autumn clipper. Rain and strong gusts are stretching from the Dakotas to the Great Lakes and into western Pennsylvania this morning as the low pressure makes its way east.

Its corresponding cold front could trigger strong thunderstorms in the southern Plains and Deep South today, but most of the active weather stays in the north. The gusty winds, however, will be felt as far south as Nashville as the storm shifts east.

Through the afternoon and overnight, the clipper will bring rain and thunderstorms across the Midwest and into the Northeast, possibly triggering additional thunderstorm activity in Chicago, Detroit and Toldeo during the afternoon commute.

High temperatures will be in the upper 70s to the 80s from San Francisco and L.A., to Charlotte, N.C., and down to Miami. The Desert Southwest is the exception with highs in the upper 80s and 90s. The cooler 60s and low 70s will be found from Seattle and Portland, Ore., to St. Louis to Richmond, Va., and into the Northeast. The colder temperatures will be in the upper 40s and 50s across the Dakotas to the Great Lakes.

Tropical Storm Melissa has formed in the Caribbean. However, it will stay in the Caribbean through this weekend, likely becoming a hurricane by Saturday.

We continue to monitor the tropics as the Atlantic Hurricane Season lasts until November 30.

If you are (or input a location) within 5 miles of the coast, you can see the marine conditions as well as the high and low tide times, here.