Friday's forecast: Soggy southern Plains; clear in the East

Friday will be rainy again in the southern Plains but quite nice in the eastern half of the nation.

Central U.S.: Cloudy, rainy skies will be the rule again in the central and southern Plains. The heaviest rain will be in Texas and Oklahoma, where flash flooding is possible.

East: Almost the entire eastern third of the country will see clear skies on Friday. The exceptions will be morning showers in New England and afternoon thunderstorms in southern Florida.

West: Clouds and light showers will be widespread in the Rockies, Great Basin, and much of California.

Weather history for May 22: In 1911, the temperature soared to 101 degrees in Lewiston, Maine, the hottest May temperature ever in New England. In 1980, thunderstorms deposited dust from Mt. St. Helens over the Canadian maritimes.

In 1987, a 1/2 mile wide tornado ripped into Saragosa, Texas, killing 30 and injuring 121.