Significant rains ahead from the Plains to East Coast

For the remainder of Monday, widespread showers and thunderstorms will affect the Southeast, with 1- to 2-inch totals common from Georgia to Virginia.  Farther west, rain will expand and intensify during Monday across the central and southern Plains, with heavy showers slowly shifting into the eastern U.S. by Thursday. 

Five-day rainfall totals could reach 2 to 6 inches from portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas eastward to the southern Appalachians.  However, most of the Midwest will receive less than 2 inches of rain. 

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