Weather

Short-term drying across much of the Plains

Across the Corn Belt, a chilly rain is falling early Monday in the Ohio Valley, especially in the southern half of Ohio. Below-normal temperatures cover all of the Midwest, limiting evaporation from still-soggy fields. Early Monday, the Missouri River crest is near Waverly, Missouri, just over 11 feet above flood stage and very close to the high-water mark achieved in July 1993.

On the Plains, mostly dry weather accompanies near- or below-normal temperatures. However, a few showers are occurring on the High Plains, mainly from Montana to western Kansas. Many rivers across the northern Plains are running high, a combination of melting snow and runoff from earlier precipitation.

In the South, showers and thunderstorms stretch from Kentucky into the central Gulf Coast States. In contrast, dry weather favors spring fieldwork across the Deep South, including Florida and southern Texas.

In the West, a cold front is approaching the Pacific Coast, preceded by mild weather. Rainy, breezy conditions are overspreading northwestern California, but dry weather covers the remainder of the West.