Weather

Temps, weather continue to vary across the Heartland; increasing wind for most

Across the Corn Belt, light snow is confined to portions of the Great Lakes region.  Elsewhere, breezy weather prevails in advance of an approaching cold front.  Despite gusty winds, many Midwestern producers continue to take advantage of relatively open weather to perform farm maintenance and other off-season activities.

On the Plains, temperatures have rebounded to near- or above-normal levels, except in parts of Montana and North Dakota.  Later Wednesday, high temperatures across the southern half of the Plains should range from 55 to 70°F, allowing for further development of winter wheat in areas where planting and emergence had been delayed by drought in September and October.

In the South, rain showers have developed across eastern Texas and are spreading into Louisiana.  Cool, dry weather covers the remainder of the South, with freezes noted again Wednesday morning as far south as northern Florida.  However, key winter agricultural areas in Texas and Florida have escaped sub-freezing temperatures during this week’s cold wave.

In the West, dry weather and near- or above-normal temperatures favor fieldwork, including late-season harvest activities in California and the Desert Southwest.  Later Wednesday, high temperatures will reach 70°F as far north as California’s Sacramento Valley, with readings near 80°F possible in parts of the Desert Southwest.  However, air stagnation and freezing fog linger in parts of the Northwest, primarily across Oregon, southwestern Idaho, and western Nevada.