Weather

Unseasonably mild temps, centered on the Plains; showers develop on the southwest High Plains

Across the Corn Belt, lingering cold weather is mostly confined to the eastern Great Lakes States.  Still, a variable snow cover remains on the ground in parts of the northern and eastern Corn Belt. The colder areas generally overlap where fields and forests are still blanketed by snow.  Friday’s Midwestern high temperatures will remain below 40°F in the upper Great Lakes region—but will reach 65°F or higher in the southwestern Corn Belt.

On the Plains, mild, dry weather prevails in advance of approaching storminess.  Friday’s high temperatures will again approach or reach 80°F in parts of Texas, while readings above 55°F should extend as far north as southeastern Montana.  Any remaining snow cover is largely limited to parts of northern and eastern North Dakota.  Despite winter wheat lacking a protective snow cover, the crop continues to overwinter well, aside from some drought-related concerns on the northern and southern Plains.

In the South, lingering chilly weather across Virginia and environs contrasts with unusual warmth farther south and west.  In fact, Friday’s high temperatures will top 80°F throughout southern Texas.  Spring fieldwork is underway across Deep South Texas, although many producers are contending with Severe to Extreme Drought (D2 to D3), according to the U.S. Drought Monitor.  Drought is also prominent on the landscape in other areas, including portions of the mid-South and lower Southeast, with adverse impacts on some pastures, winter grains, and surface water supplies. Snow has finally disappeared from the landscape, especially of late across the parts of the mid-Atlantic region.

In the West, rain and snow showers in the Four Corners States are associated with a developing storm system.  The remainder of the region is experiencing mild, dry weather, although widespread storminess over the northern Pacific Ocean is slowly approaching the West Coast. Although precipitation is generally not heavy, any moisture is beneficial, following a month of dry weather.  Still, high-elevation snowpack is less than 50% of the mid-February average in Arizona and New Mexico, along with most of Nevada, Oregon, southern sections of Colorado and Washington, southern and western Utah, and the northern tier of California.