Weather
A mid-Winter feel covers much of the Heartland
Across the Corn Belt, cold, mostly dry weather prevails, although patchy snow showers are occurring from the upper Mississippi Valley into the Great Lakes region. Tuesday morning’s low temperatures dipped below 0°F in scattered locations from North Dakota to Wisconsin, following last week’s record-setting warmth. Any remaining corn and soybean harvest activities are largely concentrated across the eastern Corn Belt, where fields are wetter.
On the Plains, chilly conditions linger, especially in Montana and the Dakotas. In many communities along and near the Canadian border, Tuesday morning’s low temperatures again dipped to 0°F or below. Most of the coldest areas have some snow on the ground, which is helping to insulate drought-stressed winter wheat. Farther south, temperatures are rebounding to above-normal levels across the southern High Plains, where drought-stressed rangeland, pastures, and winter grains would greatly benefit from a boost in topsoil moisture.
In the South, cooler weather prevails, except across southern Florida. Tuesday’s high temperatures will struggle to reach 40°F in parts of the Tennessee Valley. Nevertheless, dry weather continues to promote late-season fieldwork, including winter wheat planting and cotton harvesting.
In the West, mild weather continues in most areas west of the Rockies. Only spotty rain and snow showers are occurring in the Southwest, despite widespread cloudiness. Farther north, light snow lingers across the northern Rockies.
