Weather

Mild weather continues across the Midwest Corn Belt; rains on the southern Plains

Across the Corn Belt, rain has spread as far north as the lower Ohio Valley.  Lower Midwestern livestock producers are anticipating the development of muddy conditions, as rain moves into the southern and eastern Corn Belt.  Additionally, locally significant ice-jam flooding could develop in parts of the eastern Corn Belt, as river ice begins to break up in the wake of a protracted cold spell.

On the Plains, above-normal temperatures prevail.  However, some wet snow is blanketing the central High Plains, including eastern Colorado, while rain is falling across the southeastern Plains.  According to the January 28 U.S. Drought Monitor, 24% of the nation’s winter wheat production area is experiencing drought, although coverage is substantially higher in South Dakota (100% of the production area in drought) and Nebraska (77%).

IIn the South, heavy showers are resulting in localized flash flooding from northeastern Texas to the northern Mississippi Delta.  Overnight rainfall totaled 2 to 5 inches in parts of northeastern Texas, with showers continuing early Thursday.  Across the remainder of the South, warm, dry weather prevails in advance of an approaching cold front, with Thursday’s maximum temperatures expected to reach 80°F across parts of Florida’s peninsula.

In the West, snow across the central Rockies is gradually ending.  Dry weather covers the remainder of the West, with California’s San Joaquin Valley experiencing minimum temperatures near the freezing mark (near 32°F) for the fourth consecutive morning.  Further, air stagnation and foggy conditions linger in many Northwestern valley locations.