Weather

Milder weather gradually overspreads the Corn Belt

On the Plains, cool conditions linger across Texas, but mild, dry weather prevails across the remainder of the nation’s mid-section. On the northern Plains, windy weather is contributing to the erosion of winter wheat’s protective snow cover.

Across the Corn Belt, mild weather is starting to melt a snow cover that has persisted for 2 to 3 weeks across the Ohio Valley and the upper Midwest. In the last 24 hours, snow depths have declined an inch in both Des Moines, Iowa (currently 4 inches), and Indianapolis, Indiana (2 inches).

In the South, rain is developing in the western Gulf Coast region. Elsewhere, mild, dry weather favors fieldwork, including harvesting of early- and mid-season oranges in Florida. However, soil moisture shortages persist across the lower Southeast. On January 6, Florida’s soil moisture was rated 40% very short to short.

In the West, cool weather lingers in the Four Corners States, but mild air is overspreading the remainder of the region. Scattered showers are confined to the Pacific Northwest. In California, dry weather favors mid-winter fieldwork, including citrus and vegetable harvest activities.