Weather

Temps vary across the Heartland; a new winter storm to develops on the Plains

Across the Corn Belt, cold, dry weather prevails in advance of an approaching storm system.  Sub-0°F temperatures were broadly noted Friday morning in the upper Mississippi Valley, despite an increase in cloudiness.  A variable snow cover from recent storms blankets the Midwest, except parts of the Ohio Valley.  

On the Plains, bitterly cold conditions have temporarily eased, except along and near the Canadian border.  Mostly dry weather prevails, despite widespread cloudiness, although portions of the northern and central Plains are bracing for impending snow and a return to cold, windy weather.  Winter wheat’s protective snow cover across the northern and central Plains has improved in recent days, although some gaps in coverage exist in South Dakota and environs.

In the South, dry weather is temporarily in place, although some rivers from the mid-South into the central Appalachians are running high due to run-off from recent downpours.  Many of the areas experiencing lowland flooding are expecting additional heavy rain, starting on Saturday.  Elsewhere, lingering warmth is confined to the lower Southeast.

In the West, a storm system that arrived along the Pacific Coast on Thursday continues to move farther inland, with precipitation becoming lighter and less organized.  Still, Western weather hazards include widespread, high-elevation snow; freezing rain in western Oregon; high winds from southern California to the central and southern Rockies; and residual flooding in a few areas, including parts of northern and central California.