Weather

Calmer weather (for now) across the Midwest; hazardous weather on parts of the Plains

Across the Corn Belt, warmth has arrived in advance of an approaching storm system.  Chilly conditions linger, however, from the Dakotas into the upper Great Lakes region.  Farther south, Tuesday’s maximum temperatures will top 80°F in parts of the middle Mississippi Valley.  Warm weather in much of the western Corn Belt is allowing livestock producers to prepare for an impending snow and wind event, expected to arrive Tuesday night.

On the Plains, any precipitation is light and spreading eastward from southern Montana.  Chilly weather on the northern Plains contrasts with unusual warmth across the central and southern Plains, with Tuesday’s high temperatures reaching 85°F as far north as eastern Kansas.  Producers across the central and southern Plains are bracing for another day of dry weather, low humidity, and wind gusts topping 60 mph, possibly leading to blowing dust and fast-spreading wildfires.

In the South, dry weather accompanies a warming trend.  In fact, temperatures have rebounded to above-normal levels in most areas west of the Mississippi Delta.  In Texas, 32% of the intended corn acreage had been planted by March 16, along with 26% of the sorghum, reflecting fieldwork in the southern part of the state.  Local recovery efforts continue in areas of the mid-South and Southeast affected by recent severe thunderstorms.

In the West, cool, unsettled weather prevails.  Precipitation is falling across much of the Intermountain West, while generally dry weather has returned across the Pacific Coast States.  High winds are raking parts of the Southwest.