Weather

Windy, mild weather across the Heartland greets December

In the Corn Belt, a fast-moving disturbance is producing light precipitation (rain and snow showers) from the Great Lakes region into the middle Mississippi Valley. On November 28, roughly one-tenth (8 to 11%) of the corn and soybeans remained in the field in Michigan and Ohio. Those states led the Midwest on that date in topsoil moisture rated surplus— 39% in Michigan and 31% in Ohio.

On the Plains, warm, windy weather continues to reduce soil moisture for winter wheat establishment. Wednesday’s high temperatures could reach 70°F as far north as eastern Montana, while wind gusts will exceed 60 mph across portions of the northern High Plains. On November 28, topsoil moisture was rated at least one-third very short to short in each of the Plains States, led by Montana (96% very short to short) and Colorado (84%).

In the South, dry weather continues to promote fieldwork, including winter wheat planting and cotton harvesting. Wednesday’s high temperatures should range from around 60°F in the southern Appalachians to near 80°F in southern sections of Texas and Florida. Short-term dryness is an emerging concern in portions of the southern Atlantic States; on November 28, topsoil moisture was rated at least one-half very short to short in South Carolina (55%) and North Carolina (54%).

In the West, mild, dry weather prevails, aside from lingering showers near the Canadian border. An elevated wildfire threat persists in parts of southern California, where little or no precipitation fell during November. In fact, many Southwestern communities, from San Diego and Los Angeles, California, to Roswell, New Mexico, received November rainfall totaling a trace or less. San Diego completed its first November without measurable rain since 1980.