Weather

A dynamic “Clipper” feature across the Great Lakes region; largely fair, seasonal on the Plains

Across the Corn Belt, travel conditions are deteriorating from North Dakota into Wisconsin, due to wind-driven snow and falling temperatures.  Additionally, upper Midwestern livestock are experiencing temporarily stressful conditions, amid several inches of new snow and wind gusts locally topping 40 mph.  The remainder of the Midwest is experiencing mild weather in advance of an approaching cold front, with high winds raking parts of the western Corn Belt.

On the Plains, snowy, windy weather is causing travel disruptions and increasing livestock stress across much of North Dakota and portions of neighboring states.  Very windy weather, with local gusts above 60 mph, extends as far south as Nebraska.  Meanwhile, mild, breezy weather prevails across the southern half of the Plains, where Thursday’s high temperatures should range from 55 to 70°F.

In the South, warmth lingers across Florida’s peninsula, while cooler air is overspreading the remainder of the region.  Dry weather trails recent rainfall, which was heaviest (2 to 4 inches or more) in parts of the mid-South and along Florida’s east coast.  As conditions permit, late-season fieldwork—including cotton harvesting—continues across the Deep South.

In the West, mild, dry, tranquil weather prevails between storm systems.  Several areas, including the eastern slopes of the northern Rockies and much of the Southwest, have missed out on early-season storms that have helped to establish high-elevation snowpack in other areas of the West.  Thursday’s high temperatures will reach 80°F or higher in much of the Desert Southwest.