Weather

Warmer & wetter across parts of the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, locally heavy rain showers dot the Great Lakes region, maintaining soggy conditions. Warm, dry weather covers the remainder of the Midwest. On April 5, prior to Tuesday’s rain across the northern Corn Belt, topsoil moisture was rated more than one-third surplus in Ohio (53%), Minnesota (47%), Michigan (44%), North Dakota (43%), South Dakota (40%), Wisconsin (38%), and Missouri (34%).

On the Plains, warm, dry, breezy weather prevails in advance of an approaching cold front. Lowland flooding continues in parts of the eastern Dakotas, primarily in the James and Red River basins. Elsewhere, warmth favors winter wheat development, while spring planting preparations (or early-season planting efforts) are underway in many areas. In Nebraska, 14% of the intended oat acreage had been planted by April 5, compared to the 5-year average of 25%.

In the South, scattered showers are affecting some interior locations, mainly from Arkansas to Alabama. Across the remainder of the region, warm, dry weather is promoting fieldwork and crop development. By April 5, rice planting was more than two-thirds complete in Texas (73% complete) and Louisiana (70%)—but had only just begun in Arkansas (1% complete, well behind the 5-year average of 12%) and Mississippi (2% complete, versus 11% on average).

In the West, a low-pressure system lurking near the Pacific Coast continues to generate locally heavy showers in southern California. Late-season snow is falling in parts of the Sierra Nevada. Chilly conditions accompany the storminess, but mild, dry weather prevails in the Rockies and the Northwest.