Weather
Chilly weather across the Midwestern Corn Belt
Across the Corn Belt, a band of rain showers is crossing the lower Midwest. Meanwhile, snow showers dot the upper Great Lakes region. Wednesday morning’s temperatures fell to near 20° in parts of the far upper Midwest, including the eastern Dakotas. On April 19, Illinois led the Midwest with 15% of its intended corn acreage planted, followed by Minnesota (12%).
On the Plains, showers and thunderstorms are occurring in the vicinity of a cold front, primarily in Oklahoma. Rangeland, pastures, and winter grains continue to benefit from recent and ongoing soil moisture improvements, especially in Oklahoma, Kansas, and Nebraska. Cold weather covers the northern Plains, where Wednesday morning’s temperatures fell below 20° in parts of the Dakotas.
In the South, mild, mostly dry weather favors an acceleration of fieldwork, except in areas still wet from last week’s rain or experiencing lowland flooding. However, a few showers are spreading across the mid- South, including the Bootheel of Missouri.
In the West, cooler air continues to spread inland across the Pacific Coast States. On April 19, California led the nation in soil moisture shortages—85% very short or short for subsoil and 75% for topsoil.
Forecast High Temperatures (National)
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