Unusually chilly weather grips much of the Heartland

Weather

Unusually chilly weather grips much of the Heartland

Unusually cool weather will continue to dominate areas east of the Rockies into next week. The late-season cool spell should peak in most areas during the weekend, when widespread freezes can be expected from the northern Plains into the Northeast, as well as large sections of the Midwest, Appalachians, and Ohio Valley. Frost and freezes may threaten summer crops, including corn and soybeans, although slow emergence and development should help to limit susceptibility to freeze injury. In addition, some fruit crops and ornamentals may face a significant freeze threat.

In the Great Lakes and Northeastern States, the coldest air will be drawn southward in the wake of a late-week storm, which could produce 1- to 2- inch rainfall totals in parts of the Northwest, northern parts of the Rockies and Plains, the mid-South, and the Ohio Valley. Heavier rain, 2 inches or more, may fall late in the week from Deep South Texas to southern Florida.

In contrast, little or no precipitation will occur during the next 5 days across the upper Great Lakes region and from California to the central and southern High Plains.

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for below-normal temperatures in most areas from the Plains to the East Coast, while warmer-than-normal weather will prevail in the Northwest, Great Basin, Four Corners States, and western Texas.

Meanwhile, below-normal rainfall across much of the South and East, as well as the north-central U.S., should contrast with wetter-than-normal conditions in the Rockies, Pacific Coast States, and peninsular Florida.