Tuesday's forecast: Soggy East and West

A soggy Tuesday is on tap for much of the East along with the West Coast.

East: Showers will dampen most of the eastern third of the country, all the way from the Ohio Valley to the East Coast. Some snow could also whiten the Great Lakes. Florida will stay warm and dry.

West: Soaking rain will drench much of coastal California, Oregon and Washington on Tuesday, bringing more welcome drought relief. Heavy snow is also forecast in the Sierra while scattered snow showers fly in the Rockies.

Central U.S.: The Plains will be clear from the Dakotas to Texas. Temperatures will be chilly in the northern Plains but mild in the southern Plains.

Weather history for Dec. 16: In 1971, the temperature rose to a 80 degrees in Richmond, Va., the latest 80-degree reading ever. In 1989, the temperature dropped to a record low of 2 degrees in Nashville and 9 in Birmingham, Ala.

In 2000, tornadoes lashed Alabama, killing 11 people. In 2003, 16 inches of snow fell in Bangor, Maine, record for the day.