Weather
A warming trend underway across the Heartland
Across the Corn Belt, weekend frost occurred in the Great Lakes States. However, growing season-ending freezes were largely confined to areas north of primary corn and soybean production areas. On Saturday, September 19, record lows for the date in Michigan included 30° in Flint and 33° in Traverse City. Cool, Midwestern weather persists today, but temperatures have begun to moderate. Dry weather throughout the Midwest favors summer crop maturation.
On the Plains, summer-like warmth continues to replace previously cool conditions. Monday’s high temperatures could reach 90° as far north as western and central Nebraska. The Plains’ extended spell of dry weather favors summer crop maturation and harvesting, as well as winter wheat planting and emergence.
In the South, locally heavy showers associated with Tropical Storm Beta rim the Gulf Coast region, slowing harvest activities and other fieldwork. At 8 am CDT Monday morning, Beta was centered about 70 miles southeast of Port O’Connor, Texas, moving toward the west at 6 mph. Winds are near 50 mph in a small area north of the center of Beta. Meanwhile, cool, dry weather prevails from the northern Mississippi Delta eastward to the middle Atlantic Coast.
In the West, more than six dozen wildfires are in various stages of containment. The greatest concentration of fires is affecting the Pacific Coast States. During the weekend, parts of southern California experienced triple-digit heat (temperatures of 100° or higher), gusty winds, and low humidity levels, leading to expansion of several wildfires. The Bobcat Fire in the San Gabriel Mountains northeast of Los Angeles has scorched more than 100,000 acres of vegetation. During the last few days, beneficial rain has fallen in parts of the Pacific Northwest, with more showers approaching.
