Weather

No shortage of moisture across much of the Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, a significant, late-winter flood is underway. Major flooding is affecting more than a dozen river gauges in southwestern Michigan and northern sections of Illinois and Indiana, while minor to moderate flooding is broadly occurring in the central and eastern Corn Belt. Currently, rain is returning to the Ohio Valley, aggravating the flood situation, while widespread, generally light snow is blanketing the upper Midwest.

On the Plains, a return of wintry precipitation is underway across northern areas. Temperatures are falling across the southern Plains, and very cold conditions persist on the snow-covered northern High Plains. Recent precipitation benefited winter wheat across the southeastern Plains but mostly bypassed the drought-affected southern High Plains.

In the South, a band of locally heavy rain extends northeastward from northeast Texas. Flash flooding and minor to moderate river flooding is occurring in a broad area from eastern Texas to the northern Mississippi Delta. In contrast, mostly dry weather accompanies a continuation of record-setting warmth in the Southeast.

In the West, unusually cold conditions persist. However, beneficial snow showers accompany the below-normal temperatures in several areas, including the Intermountain West. Until recently, significant winter storms had consistently bypassed the West, except across Montana, Washington, Wyoming, and northern Idaho.

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