Weather

The next in a series of early-spring storms impacting Heartland, parts of the southern U.S.

Across the Corn Belt, heavy showers and locally severe thunderstorms are resulting in pockets of wind damage, large hail, and flash flooding.  A sharp temperature gradient exists across the Midwest, with Wednesday’s high temperatures expected to range from near 35°F in the Red River Valley of the North to 80°F or higher in the lower Ohio Valley.  Some wet snow is falling early Wednesday from the Dakotas into Minnesota.  Elsewhere, more than 100,000 customers—mostly in northern Lower Michigan—remain without electricity in the wake of last weekend’s major ice storm.

On the Plains, a severe weather outbreak is underway, extending southwestward from eastern Kansas.  Elsewhere, snow is blanketing portions of the Dakotas, while an elevated wildfire threat persists across the southern High Plains.  Despite increased storminess in recent weeks, winter wheat continues to struggle in drought-affected areas.  By the end of March, 50% of the wheat in South Dakota was rated very poor to poor, along with 34% in Nebraska and 33% in Texas.

In the South, very warm weather prevails in advance of an approaching cold front.  Wednesday’s high temperatures will top 90°F in much of southern Texas and parts of Florida’s peninsula.  Warmth favors winter wheat development and the emergence of recently planted summer crops, including corn, rice, and soybeans.

In the West, the last in a series of Pacific disturbances is maintaining cool, unsettled, showery conditions across a broad area.  However, precipitation has become more diffuse, compared to previous days.  Hard freezes (28°F or below) were noted Wednesday morning in some fruit-production areas of western Colorado and eastern Utah.