Right on schedule: Autumn rain, temps hit Plains

Autumn arrived today at 8:43 a.m. EDT and a big autumn storm is rolling across the Midwest and southern Plains today.

The autumn storm is rolling out of the southern Rockies, extending a warm front into the Midwest and Great Lakes while dragging a cold front across the southern Plains.

Heavy rain will soak the central Mississippi and Ohio valleys, with a few rumbles of thunder accompanying the heaviest rainfall.

The WeatherRadar also shows thunderstorms moving across the southern Plains into Texas. A few of them could produce gusty winds that could ruin some Sunday afternoon Plains from Kansas City to Dallas.

To the north and west of this system, autumn temperatures will dive south of Canada.

Highs will only be in the 50s across the central Plains and Front Range, with Denver struggling to hit the mid-50s. Tonight's lows will be in the low 40s throughout the Dakotas and western high Plains.

The colder temperatures will be slow to progress eastward. The South, Southeast and the upper Ohio Valley will remain unseasonably hot today and Monday with highs in the middle to upper 80s found as far north as Cleveland and Columbus. Track these changes on the WeatherRadar.