Weather

Rather mild, (unseasonable) generally tranquil early-January weather across the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, precipitation across the Great Lakes region has ended, although cloudiness lingers.  With a sharp Midwestern temperature gradient in place, Wednesday’s maximum readings will range from near 35°F in the vicinity of the Great Lakes to 60°F or higher in much of Nebraska, Missouri, and southwestern Iowa.

On the Plains, unusual warmth continues, with any meaningful snow cover limited to the northeastern corner of the region (e.g. northern and eastern North Dakota).  Snow-free conditions are favorable for livestock but have left the winter wheat crop exposed to potential weather extremes.  Wednesday’s high temperatures should reach 60°F as far north as western South Dakota.

In the South, warm, dry weather continues to promote off-season activities, including mending of fences and other farm maintenance.  However, locally significant drought is resulting in numerous impacts, including poor pasture conditions, low streamflow, and reduced availability of surface water from springs and ponds.  Some of the most notable drought impacts related to hydrology are being observed across northern Florida and southern Georgia.

In the West, a final round of Northwestern storminess has pushed inland as far as the northern Rockies.  Cooler air has overspread portions of the Pacific Coast States, but mild, dry weather covers the remainder of the West.  In the wake of recent storminess, the average water equivalency of the Sierra Nevada snowpack has increased to nearly 10 inches, about 90% of normal for the date.  However, snowpack continues to languish in many other areas of the western U.S., except the northern Rockies and environs.