The nation's weather

The remnants of Hurricane Earl took aim at Nova Scotia early Saturday after a brush with the Northeast that was far less intense than feared, dumping heavy, wind-driven rain on Cape Cod cottages and fishing villages accustomed to nor'easters.

The storm swept into New England waters Friday night as a tropical storm with winds of 70 mph after sideswiping North Carolina's Outer Banks, where it caused flooding but no injuries and little damage. The rain it brought to Cape Cod, Nantucket Island and Martha's Vineyard was more typical of the nor'easters that residents have been dealing with for generations - except this one disrupted the unofficial last weekend of summer.

Moving inland, a low pressure system moving will move eastward from the Great Lakes, into eastern Canada, pulling a cold front through the eastern U.S. Scattered showers and thunderstorms are likely, with heaviest storms anticipated in the Northeast.

Strong storms will also develop in the South.

In the Plains, high pressure will build behind the front and bring cool air in from the north, meaning another cool day with highs in the 60s across the northern Plains and upper Midwest. Temperatures in the southern Plains will remain in the 80s.

Cool conditions will return to the West Coast as a trough of low pressure moves into the Pacific Northwest. This will kick up overcast skies with scattered showers over Oregon and Washington. California will see a few coastal clouds but interiors will remain hot and sunny.

Temperatures in the lower 48 states on Friday ranged from a low of 27 degrees at Yellowstone, Wyo., to a high of 116 degrees at Thermal, Calif.