Weather

Winter-like cold to the north; a brief lull in weather, for now, across the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, frigid weather grips the upper Midwest, where Wednesday morning’s low temperatures plunged below 0°F as far south as central Minnesota and northeastern South Dakota.  The late-season cold wave is occurring amid lambing and calving season; on March 26 in North Dakota, lambing was 56% complete, while calving was 33% complete.  Meanwhile, snow showers dot the Great Lakes region, while cool, dry weather prevails across the southern Corn Belt.

On the Plains, dry weather accompanies below-normal temperatures.  In fact, sub-0°F temperatures were reported early Wednesday in deeply snow-covered sections of northeastern Montana and the Dakotas.  Farther south, an elevated wildfire threat persists on the southern High Plains, despite relatively cool weather.  On March 26, USDA/NASS rated statewide topsoil moisture more than one-half very short to short in Texas (71%), Kansas (68%), and Oklahoma (56%).

In the South, rain has ended along the southern Atlantic Coast, while a few sprinkles are occurring in southern and eastern Texas.  Cool, dry weather covers the remainder of the region, aside from lingering warmth in southern Florida.  Frost was observed Wednesday morning in parts of the mid-South and Tennessee Valley.  Elsewhere, relatively dry fields across the Deep South and near the Atlantic Coast favor spring planting, while wetness in the mid-South is limiting fieldwork.  On March 26, topsoil moisture was rated 64% surplus in Arkansas, along with 38% in Tennessee and 33% in Mississippi.

In the West, a low-pressure system continues to drift southward near the Pacific Coast.  A large Western area is experiencing precipitation, including high-elevation snow, with some of the most significant impacts occurring in California and the western Great Basin.  Heavily managed waterways in California’s Central Valley remain at elevated levels, with the San Joaquin River in Vernalis nearly steady at its highest level since early 2017.