Weather

Heat wave lingers on the southern Plains, seasonal warmth elsewhere; showers & t-storms in parts of the Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, thunderstorms in the vicinity of a cold front extend southwestward from the upper Great Lakes region. In drier areas of the upper Midwest, the rain is benefiting any immature summer crops. Meanwhile, hot weather persists across the southwestern Corn Belt, including much of Missouri and portions of neighboring states.

On the Plains, scorching heat persists across the southeastern half of the region, with mounting impacts on rangeland, pastures, livestock, and immature summer crops. In contrast, chilly air has settled across the northern High Plains, including much of Montana. Scattered showers are occurring near the boundary between cool and hot air.

In the South, scattered showers are limited to areas along and near the Gulf Coast. Elsewhere, dry weather favors summer crop maturation and harvesting, although seasonable temperatures in the Southeast contrast with ongoing summer-like heat from the western Gulf Coast region to the Mississippi Delta.

In the West, dry weather prevails, aside from isolated showers in the Four Corners States and patchy precipitation in the far northern Rockies. Below-normal temperatures linger across the Northwest and neighboring regions; a Frost Advisory was in effect early Tuesday in south-central Oregon and northeastern California. Northwestern winter wheat planting is underway in some areas, following recent beneficial showers.