Weather

Windy, cooler to colder weather for the Heartland; snow & rain from the Dakotas to the Ohio Valley

Across the Corn Belt, a cold front sweeping across areas east of the Mississippi River is generating a few rain showers.  Meanwhile, snow showers and windy conditions across the far upper Midwest are temporarily halting fieldwork and increasing livestock stress.  Temperatures have fallen to 20°F or below in parts of North Dakota, where snow lingers.

On the Plains, wind-driven snow lingers across parts of the Dakotas, where rural travel disruptions persist.  Windy weather extends to the remainder of the northern half of the Plains, leading to a significantly elevated wildfire threat in areas—such as western sections of Nebraska and South Dakota—that remain dry.  Meanwhile, cool, dry weather across the southern Plains favors a return to harvest activities and other fieldwork, following recent rain-induced delays.

In the South, scattered, generally light showers stretch from the Carolinas to Florida.  Across the remainder of the region, dry weather accompanies a cooling trend.  Despite recent rainfall, Louisiana’s sugarcane harvest was 57% complete by November 17, well ahead of the 5-year average of 48%.  Except for peanuts (88% harvested, nationally, on November 17, versus the 5-year average of 90%), harvest activities are also ahead of schedule for most other Southern crops.

IIn the West, one of the strongest storms on record over the northeastern Pacific Ocean is generating hazardous weather— including heavy rain, mountain snow, and high winds—across northern California and the Pacific Northwest.  Cool, dry weather covers the remainder of the West, with windy conditions developing across portions of the Great Basin.