Weather

Temps continue in a wide-range across the Heartland; moisture increasing for some

Across the Corn Belt, patchy precipitation in the upper Midwest is falling in conjunction with an approaching cold front. However, much of the Corn Belt is experiencing dry weather and a warming trend. Later Thursday, high temperatures should approach or reach 75°F as far north as the middle Mississippi and Ohio Valleys. Meanwhile, pockets of lowland flooding linger in states bordering Lake Michigan, especially in Michigan and northern Indiana.

On the Plains, windy weather—accompanied by a few rain showers—prevails in parts of Montana and the Dakotas. In Montana, peak wind gusts on Tuesday reached 61 mph in both Great Falls and Helena, with gusty winds continuing Wednesday. Across the southern half of the High Plains, warm, dry weather is further reducing topsoil moisture for rangeland, pastures, and winter wheat. On April 5, statewide topsoil moisture in agricultural regions was greater than 80% very short to short in several Plains States, including Colorado (95%) and Nebraska (84%).

In the South, Florida’s peninsula continues to receive beneficial showers. Meanwhile, scattered freezes were noted earlier in the week as far south as Virginia and eastern Kentucky, with possible local implications for blooming fruits. In contrast, warmth from the western Gulf Coast region to the Mississippi Delta is promoting fieldwork and crop development.

In the West, moderately cooler air is arriving across the northern Rockies, accompanied by gusty winds. Elsewhere, warm, dry weather is promoting fieldwork. On April 5, Idaho led the U.S. in planting progress for spring wheat (18% complete), barley (17%), and sugarbeets (17%)—all 4 to 5 percentage points ahead of the respective 5-year averages.