Weather
Cold wave grips much of the Corn Belt
On the Plains, chilly conditions linger across Oklahoma and Texas. Farther north, however, mild air is spreading across the northern and central High Plains. During February, the most significant declines in winter wheat condition were noted in Montana, where the portion of the crop rated in good to excellent condition fell from 58 to 44%—in part attributable to the lack of a protective snow cover.
Across the Corn Belt, bitterly cold weather lingers across the lower Midwest, where Friday morning’s temperatures locally plunged below 0°. However, most of the Midwestern winter wheat lies beneath a protective snow over. Meanwhile, milder air is overspreading the Missouri Valley.
In the South, rain showers linger along the southern Atlantic Coast. Farther west, Freeze Warnings were in effect early Friday along and near the Gulf Coast from south-central Texas to southern Alabama and western Florida. Elsewhere, flood-recovery efforts are underway in the Tennessee Valley and environs, while areas from northeastern Texas to the southern Mid-Atlantic States are digging out from a late-season snowfall.
In the West, dry weather accompanies a warming trend. In fact, record-setting warmth has returned to parts of northern California. According to the California Department of Water Resources, the average water content of the high-elevation Sierra Nevada snowpack stands at 5 inches, less than 20% of the early-March normal.
Forecast High Temperatures (National)
Add Comment