Weather

Temps & weather continue in a wide-range throughout the Heartland, elsewhere

Across the Corn Belt, mostly dry weather prevails between storms.  Early Friday, sub-0°F temperatures were confined to North Dakota and the upper Great Lakes region.  Mild weather covers the remainder of the Midwest, although some producers from the Dakotas to Michigan are preparing for impending snow accumulations.

On the Plains, a developing storm system is producing snow in much of Montana.  Dry weather covers the remainder of the Plains, although frigid conditions in Montana and North Dakota contrast with record-setting warmth in Texas.  High temperatures later Friday could approach 90°F in west-central Texas.  A portion of the Plains’ winter wheat continues to struggle with drought-related impacts; at the end of January, 34% of Nebraska’s crop was rated in very poor to poor condition.

In the South, mostly dry weather accompanies above-normal temperatures.  In fact, Friday’s high temperatures will reach or top 90°F in parts of southern Texas.  Early Friday, any showers are light and generally confined to the Tennessee Valley.

In the West, precipitation has diminished across northern California but lingers in the northern Rockies and environs.  A sharp temperature gradient remains in place, ranging from significantly below-normal temperatures in the Northwest to record-setting warmth in parts of the Southwest.  In the Southwest, rapidly intensifying drought, along with lack of mountain snowpack, is increasing the likelihood of extremely poor spring and summer runoff.