Weather

Rains break-out on parts of the southern Plains

On the Plains, a broken line of showers and thunderstorms from eastern New Mexico to southeastern Kansas is slowing fieldwork but benefiting rangeland, pastures, and recently planted winter wheat. Meanwhile, extremely dry conditions are hampering winter wheat emergence across the northwestern half of the Plains. In addition, warm weather is returning to the northern High Plains, where Friday’s high temperatures will approach 80°.

Across the Corn Belt, cool but dry weather is promoting harvest activities, especially across the upper Midwest. A few readings below 20° were noted Friday morning in the northwestern Corn Belt. Winter wheat planting remains slightly behind schedule in the Ohio Valley in the wake of recent rainfall. For example, wheat planting was 19% complete in Ohio by October 7, compared to the 5-year average of 32%.

In the South, showers and thunderstorms are developing in parts of Tennessee and across the Ozark Plateau. Elsewhere, warm, dry weather favors harvest activities and other autumn fieldwork.

In the West, rain and high-elevation snow showers are aiding rangeland and pastures in the Great Basin and the Four Corners States. In contrast, unfavorably dry conditions persist across the interior Northwest, although rain associated with a cold front is beginning to overspread the Pacific Northwest.