Weather

Big changes, with severe storms, snow for parts of the Corn Belt; calmer weather on the Plains

Across the Corn Belt, overnight thunderstorms produced localized wind and hail damage from Missouri into northern Indiana and southwestern Michigan.  Hail up to 6 inches in diameter was reported near Kankakee, Illinois, south of Chicago.  Early Wednesday, showers and thunderstorms are sweeping across the eastern Corn Belt, with an ongoing threat of locally severe weather.  Meanwhile, sharply colder air has overspread the western Corn Belt; snow is falling Wednesday morning from parts of Nebraska and western Iowa into the upper Great Lakes region. 

On the Plains, the threat of severe weather has ended, following strong overnight thunderstorms in portions of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.  Any lingering showers are confined to the southeastern Plains, while some snow is falling early Wednesday across the east-central Plains, mainly in eastern Nebraska.  A spell of record-setting warmth has ended, as temperatures have fallen to more seasonable levels.  Despite the cooler weather, an elevated wildfire threat exists on the central and southern High Plains, with a fire actively burning Wednesday morning northwest of Amarillo, Texas.  

In the South, record-setting warmth prevails in advance of an approaching cold front.  Wednesday’s high temperatures should mostly range from 80 to 90°F from southern Texas to the middle and southern Atlantic States.  Meanwhile, showers and locally severe thunderstorms stretch from Kentucky into eastern Texas.  Despite the threat of severe weather, rain is providing beneficial moisture in drought-affected areas for pastures and winter grains.

In the West, a barrage of storminess is just starting to affect the northern Pacific Coast.  Below-normal temperatures prevail in the Northwest, while lingering warmth stretches from California to the Four Corners region.