Another early-Spring storm organizes on the Plains

Weather

Another early-Spring storm organizes on the Plains

Across the Corn Belt, chilly weather lingers, especially in the Great Lakes region. However, warmth is starting to overspread the southwestern Corn Belt, including much of Missouri and Nebraska.

On the Plains, beneficial but patchy precipitation (rain and snow) is spreading across Montana, where topsoil moisture was rated 96% very short to short on March 28. Meanwhile, warm, windy, dry weather from western Texas to central Kansas is creating a potentially hazardous scenario where any wildfires will spread rapidly and may become difficult to contain. Tuesday’s high temperatures could reach 85°F or higher as far north as central Kansas.

In the South, a Freeze Warning was in effect early Tuesday in eastern North Carolina. However, warmth is spreading northeastward across the remainder of the region. In fact, Tuesday’s high temperatures will reach 80°F or higher along and near the Gulf Coast, favoring spring fieldwork and crop development. In Louisiana, for example, 51% of the intended corn acreage had been planted by March 27, while 10% of the winter wheat had headed.

In the West, dry weather is returning across California and the Great Basin. Meanwhile, scattered rain and snow showers extend northward from the Four Corners States into Montana. The Western precipitation is benefiting rangeland and providing a slight boost in topsoil moisture—but is not appreciably changing the still-serious drought situation.

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