Weather
Cold wave intensifies, centered on the Heartland
Across the Corn Belt, sub-zero temperatures are maintaining stress on upper Midwestern livestock. Friday morning’s low temperatures fell below 0° as far south as northern Missouri and again plunged below -20° in parts of Minnesota and the Dakotas. In Moline, Illinois, at least an inch of snow has been on the ground at daybreak on 45 consecutive days (December 30 – February 12), the longest such streak since 2000-01. Early Friday, light snow is falling in several areas, including the Great Lakes region and portions of Nebraska and environs.
On the Plains, extreme cold across the northern half of the region is stressing livestock and threatening the health of winter wheat lacking a protective snow cover. Many wheat fields in northeastern Montana and the western Dakotas are bare or have only a patchy snow cover—and have been exposed to sub-zero temperatures for a week. Friday’s minimum temperatures locally fell below -30° on the northern Plains, where Great Falls, Montana, reported a preliminary low of -33°. Cold air (lows generally from 0 to 20°) has settled across the southern Plains, accompanied by patchy light snow.
In the South, rain stretches from southeastern Virginia and the Carolinas to the western Gulf Coast. Farther inland, however, from central Virginia to south-central Texas, wintry precipitation (patchy snow, sleet, and freezing rain) is resulting in locally hazardous travel conditions. In contrast, warmth continues across Florida.
In the West, a storm system crossing the Intermountain region is producing widespread, generally light rain and snow showers. Meanwhile, very cold air remains in place across the northern tier of the western U.S.
