Daily briefing: Southern Plains trouble

Big storms will bring the kitchen sink of severe trouble from the Gulf Coast through the South and Southeast and onto the East Coast today. Today's Daily Briefing, published every weekday promptly at 5 a.m. ET, provides the latest forecast from our team of meteorologists, including the latest in the tropics.

The work week kicks off with another active storm pattern setting up from the southern Rockies and southern Plains to the East Coast. The WeatherRadar shows waves of storms developing over Texas, the Midwest, South, Southeast and Mid-Atlantic throughout the day. The biggest ones will be over Texas, where frequent lightning and thunder could wake up Houston and ruin this morning's rush hour.

The storm system that is bringing these storms south and east will also produce a cold rain across the Upper Midwest while pulling colder air southward from Canada. The TemperatureRadar shows highs only in the 60s and low 70s across the Upper Midwest.

The Western U.S. will be a bit quieter, with the Pacific Coast and most of the Southwest being sunny. However, big thunderstorms will fire across the southern Great Basin eastward into the southern Rockies and southern High Plains. These afternoon storms, although scattered, will be able to produce large hail and damaging winds, so check the WeatherRadar often for the latest developments.

The West, southern Texas and the Gulf Coast will be the hot spots nationally. Many places will be in the 90s with triple digits felt in Phoenix and across the Rio Grande Valley. Cooler 60s and 70s will be found along the immediate Pacific Coast.

The tropics remain quiet as the second full week of the summer season kicks off.

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