Weather

Cold wave builds across the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, widespread snow showers accompany an Arctic cold front crossing the Ohio Valley and the lower Great Lakes region. In the front’s wake, dangerously cold, windy weather is maintaining or increasing stress on livestock. Wednesday morning’s temperatures across the upper Midwest generally ranged from -20 to 0°.

On the Plains, bitterly cold weather is returning to Nebraska and Dakotas. Wednesday morning’s temperatures dipped below -20° in parts of the Red River Valley. Relatively mild, dry weather covers the remainder of the Plains.

In the South, rain showers linger across southern Florida. In addition, the arrival of an Arctic cold front is resulting in widespread snow showers in Kentucky and Tennessee. Very cold air trails the cold front, with Wednesday morning’s temperatures falling to near 10° on the Ozark Plateau. Elsewhere, cool air in the wake of a previous cold front led to freezes Wednesday morning as far south as northern Florida and the central Gulf Coast.

In the West, unusual warmth persists west of the Rockies, accompanied by dry weather. The average water content of the high-elevation Sierra Nevada snowpack has slipped back to 5 inches, just 22% of average.

Morning Low Temperature Plot

Weather Alerts

Forecast High Temperatures (National)