Weather
A mid-Winter, look & feel across parts of the Heartland
Across the Corn Belt, cold weather prevails, except in the Ohio Valley. Widespread sub-zero temperatures were reported Thursday morning in Minnesota and the Dakotas. In addition, snow is overspreading the southwestern Corn Belt, including parts of Missouri and southern sections of Iowa and Nebraska.
On the Plains, snow is providing much-needed moisture for drought-stressed rangeland, pastures, and winter grains across parts of Colorado, Kansas, and Nebraska. Elsewhere, unfavorably dry conditions persist across the southern Plains, while cold, dry conditions cover the northern Plains. Thursday morning’s temperatures fell to 0°F or below in portions of Montana and the Dakotas, as well as western Nebraska.
In the South, rain showers linger across the southern Atlantic region, except in southern Florida, where warm, mostly dry weather continues. Heading into spring, drought concerns persist in several areas, including parts of Florida and from the western Gulf Coast region to the Mississippi Delta. Louisiana recently completed its third driest December-February period on record; drier winters occurred in 1999-2000 and 1980-81.
In the West, cold, dry weather prevails across northern areas. Meanwhile, light to moderately heavy precipitation is providing a slight boost in snowpack in portions of the Four Corners States. Elsewhere, California recently completed its driest January-February period on record, heightening water-supply concerns for the 2022 growing season.
