A more active pattern ahead for the Plains, Corn Belt

Weather

A more active pattern ahead for the Plains, Corn Belt

A rather unsettled pattern will become established during the next 5 days across the continental U.S., with many areas reporting periods of precipitation. However, mostly dry weather will persist in a few regions, including the southern Plains. Toward week’s end, a pair of more cohesive storm systems will begin to affect the country. The first storm will take shape over the western and central U.S. before shifting eastward, while the second system will approach the northern Pacific Coast.

As a result, 5-day rainfall amounts could reach 1 to 3 inches or more from the Mississippi Delta into the Ohio Valley, while significantly higher precipitation totals may occur in the Pacific Northwest. The initial storm should also be responsible for a stripe of potentially heavy snow, starting in the Sierra Nevada by Thursday and extending northeastward into the upper Midwest and upper Great Lakes region on Friday.

Despite increasing storminess, much of the country will continue to experience near- or above-normal temperatures.

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