Weather

Early spring storminess lingers from the northern Plains to the Ohio Valley

Across the Corn Belt, a potent storm system centered over the upper Great Lakes region is resulting in active Midwestern weather.  Wind-driven snow is falling in the upper Midwest, while showers and thunderstorms are sweeping across the eastern Corn Belt.  Despite some short-term challenges, such as rural travel disruptions and increased livestock stress, moisture associated with the storm is boosting soil moisture in some of the driest areas of the western Corn Belt.

On the Plains, conditions are gradually improving, with lingering snow generally limited to eastern sections of Nebraska and the Dakotas.  In addition, winds are diminishing as a high-pressure system strengthens across the nation’s midsection.  Tuesday morning’s low temperatures fell below 32°F as far south as western Texas, with scattered readings below 10°F on the central High Plains.  A few readings below 0°F were noted in snow-covered sections of the northern Plains.

In the South, showers and thunderstorms associated with a cold front extend from the Ohio Valley southward to the central Gulf Coast.  In advance of the front, mild, breezy weather is overspreading the Southeast.  Meanwhile, dry weather has returned to Texas, where 46% of the intended corn acreage had been planted by March 24, along with 37%   of the sorghum and 20% of the rice.

In the West, widely scattered rain and snow showers accompany mostly below-normal temperatures.  In Arizona, just 3% of the intended cotton acreage had been planted by March 24, well behind the 5-year average of 12%.