Weather

Departing blockbuster storm still impacting the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, breezy, cool conditions and scattered rain and snow showers linger in the wake of a departing storm system. However, moderate to major flooding is affecting portions of the middle Missouri Valley, including numerous rivers in eastern Nebraska, western Iowa, and southeastern South Dakota. Significant flooding is also occurring in parts of the upper Mississippi Valley.

On the Plains, cool, dry weather prevails. Lowland flooding continues, however, in an area centered on eastern Nebraska, while blizzard recovery efforts are underway from eastern Colorado into parts of the Dakotas.

In the South, scattered showers stretch southwestward from Virginia to the Gulf Coast. Warmth lingers in the southern Atlantic States, but cooler, drier air is overspreading areas from the Mississippi Delta westward.

In the West, temperatures have rebounded to near-normal levels in the Pacific Coast States, but cold weather persists in the Rockies. Dry weather prevails throughout the West, while gusty winds are affecting parts of southern California. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor, drought currently covers 13% of the West, down from 55% at the beginning of December 2018.