Mild on the Plains; seasonal across the Midwest

Weather

Mild on the Plains; seasonal across the Midwest

Across the Corn Belt, cool, cloudy conditions linger in most areas east of the Mississippi River. A few fields, primarily corn, have not yet been harvested in the eastern Corn Belt. Meanwhile in the western Corn Belt, dry weather and unusually warm conditions favor off-season farm activities.

On the Plains, unusually warm weather favors late-season winter wheat development in areas with adequate soil moisture. However, the warmth is also stressing a portion of the wheat crop, mainly in drought-affected areas of the central and southern Plains. Tuesday’s high temperatures will range from 60 to 70° over a broad area, stretching from Texas northward across the High Plains into central Montana. Gusty winds accompany the warmth.

In the South, cool, dry weather prevails. Following the latest round of heavy rain, which ended on Saturday, some cotton and soybean harvest delays continue in Virginia and the Carolinas. Parts of southern Florida also remain wet, with USDA/NASS reporting that the recent rainfall caused “renewed flooding in low-lying [pastures].”

In the West, air stagnation has returned across much of the northern half of the region, highlighted by patchy, dense fog and poor air quality. Along the northern Pacific Coast, however, an approaching disturbance is producing cloudy, breezy conditions and a few showers. Meanwhile, a protracted offshore wind event continues across southern California’s coastal ranges, maintaining a critical wildfire threat.