Daily briefing: Two storm trouble

Two winter storms, one rolling in the Northwest and another rolling across the Southeast and Mid-Atlantic, will bring rain and some snow today. This, and a look at a major arctic outbreak, is included in today's daily briefing, published every weekday at 5 a.m. ET.

The first of the two storm systems to discuss today is the one rolling across the South and Southeast. As the WeatherRadar shows, this system will bring heavy rain across the Gulf Coast, the Deep South and the Southeast this morning and afternoon.

To the north, shallow cold air will help produce pockets of snow and freezing rain across the Appalachians. This threat will slide into the southern Mid-Atlantic through the early morning hours. The system will move offshore tonight.

The second system will produce heavy rain throughout the Pacific Northwest, with the higher elevations of the Cascades and the northern Rockies receiving snow. Seattle and Portland, Ore., will have an all-day soaking.

The north-central U.S., Great Lakes and the Northeast will wake up to some of the coldest temperatures of the season so far. The TemperatureRadar shows lows in the single digits in Chicago this morning, and temperatures will only recover into the 20s this afternoon. Single digit lows are making a frigid morning in the central Mississippi Valley, Northeast and interior New England.

The mildest weather will be found across Florida, Texas, the Southwest and California. Outside of the 70s and 80s across the Sunshine State, everywhere else mentioned will be in the 60s.

Ski and snowboarding season is in full swing! Learn more about the resorts near you, including their forecast, snow depth and more on our Ski & Mountain feature.