AccuWeather.com Election-Day Forecast In Tightly Contested Races, Could Weather Be a Factor?

(State College, PA - November 3, 2006) - With AccuWeather.com's meteorologists forecasting milder conditions across much of the nation on Election Day, particularly in key battleground states, the weather will most likely have little effect on voter turnout. However there is one area of concern: a storm system that will develop Monday into Tuesday, which would bring showers and cooler temperatures to a broad swath of the country.

"While it's still early, we see some evidence that a storm system will develop in the south central area of the country, making it a rainy Election Day for voters from Arkansas and Louisiana to Alabama and Tennessee," said AccuWeather.com Expert Senior Meteorologist Henry Margusity. "There is also a possibility that by the time polls close on Tuesday, the storm system will move up into the Ohio Valley and mid-Atlantic regions, bringing showers to a much wider area of the nation."

Should this scenario happen, key Senate states such as New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Ohio, and Virginia could see showers before the day is through. Regardless, temperatures will be mild, especially compared to the chilly weather that the Northeast and the Great Lakes regions will experience this coming weekend. "Rhode Island, another battleground state, should have a pretty nice day, though scattered showers could catch last-minute voters later in the evening," said Margusity.

As for some other battleground states, Margusity said that "Montana will have a good day for voting, with relatively mild temperatures in the 50s, though it will be windy. Minnesota will also be mild."

Perhaps the least comfortable area of the country on Election Day will be the Pacific Northwest and northern California, with gusty winds and showers. The rest of California and the Southwest will be dry and warm. Voters heading to the polls in Florida will see temperatures mainly in the 70s on Tuesday, with only widely separated showers.

Visit www.accuweather.com/election for up-to-the-minute forecasts and radar for battleground states.

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