Weather

Temps vary across the Heartland; scattered showers, and snow, in parts of the Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, any cold weather is limited to the upper Great Lakes region, where Friday’s high temperatures will remain mostly below 32°F.  Mild, dry weather covers the remainder of the Midwest, following Thursday’s rain showers, which were heaviest across the Ohio Valley.  In contrast, soils remain unfavorably dry in parts of the upper Midwest, especially in areas where a cold-season snowfall deficit follows last summer’s drought.   

On the Plains, temperatures remain mostly above normal for this time of year, despite a recent cooling trend.  Friday’s high temperatures should top 60°F across the southern half of the Plains and will reach 50°F as far north as southeastern Montana.  Dry weather throughout the region favors outdoor activities, including pre-planting fieldwork on the southern Plains. 

In the South, scattered showers are sweeping across the southern Atlantic States.  Mild, dry weather covers other areas of the South, although temperatures have slightly fallen from Thursday’s lofty readings, which included daily-record highs in Arkansas that reached 84°F in Texarkana and 77°F in Little Rock.  Warmth in the Deep South is promoting spring fieldwork, including corn planting in southern and coastal Texas. 

In the West, mild, dry weather follows the recent stormy spell.  However, significant snowpack deficits still exist across the northern tier of the region, including much of Washington and Montana, as well as northern sections of Idaho and Wyoming.  Gusty winds are developing across western Montana and other parts of the northern Rockies.