Precipitation from the Plains to the Southern U.S.

On the Plains, dry weather has returned to southern portions of the region, following recent rain and snow. Farther north, snow is reversing a short-term drying on the central Plains and establishing or improving winter wheat’s protective snow cover across the northern and central Plains.

Across the Corn Belt, snow, rain and sleet is expanding northeastward. The latest round of wintry weather is adding to an already impressive snow cover in the western Corn Belt, where depths greater than a foot remain common.

In the South, freezing rain is glazing the southern Appalachians and the neighboring piedmont region, while locally heavy showers and thunderstorms are maintaining excessively wet conditions in parts of the Southeast. Farther north, heavy snow is developing across the southern Mid-Atlantic region.

In the West, Pacific moisture continues to spread inland across northern and central California and the Northwest. The precipitation is boosting high-elevation snow packs and aiding pastures and winter grains.

Seasonal pattern across the Heartland

On the Plains, cool, dry weather prevails. Most of the wheat crop continues to overwinter well. At the end of January, the portion of the winter wheat crop rated in very poor to poor condition included 29% in Texas, 11% in Kansas, 10% in Montana, 6% in Nebraska, and 4% in South Dakota.

Across the Corn Belt, colder air is overspreading western areas. Meanwhile, snow showers linger in the eastern Corn Belt. Average snow depths remain greater than 10 inches in Iowa and the Dakotas. In South Dakota, the corn harvest was 95% complete by the end of January. At the same time, 21% of the Illinois soft red winter wheat crop was rated in very poor to poor condition, in part due to late planting and excessive wetness.

In the South, rain is maintaining soggy conditions in the southern Atlantic States, while frozen precipitation (mostly sleet and freezing rain) is falling in the southern Appalachians and adjacent foothills.

In the West, widely-scattered rain and snow showers are confined to the Northwest. Cool but dry weather favors winter fieldwork activities in California and the Desert Southwest.

Illinois Has Fourth Wettest Year on Record

Based on preliminary data in Illinois, the statewide average precipitation for 2009 was 50.3 inches, 11 inches above normal. This was the fourth wettest year on record for the state based on data going back to 1895, according to the Illinois State Water Survey.

The wettest year on record was 1993 with 51.2 inches, followed closely by 2008 with 50.5 inches, and 1990 with 50.4 inches. All four wettest years have been in the last 20 years of the record. The normal statewide annual precipitation in Illinois is 39.2 inches.

The statewide precipitation for December was 4.1 inches, 1.4 inches above normal. While much of that precipitation fell as rain, areas north of Interstate 64 reported measureable snow totals. Significant snow was reported north of Interstate 80 with totals of 8 to 21 inches.

The statewide average temperature for December was 28.9 degrees, 1.0 degree below normal. As a result, the annual temperature for 2009 was 51.2 degrees, 0.8 degrees below normal. The outstanding colder-than-normal months in 2009 were January, July, August, and October. January was 4.2 degrees below normal, July was 5.2 degrees below normal, August was 2.6 degrees below normal, and October was 4.4 degrees below normal.

An outstanding feature is the two back-to-back exceptionally wet years. Together they account for 100.8 inches of precipitation. That is an extra 22.4 inches of precipitation over the two-year period.

A look of mid-Winter across parts of the southern U.S.

On the Plains, winter wheat remains under a blanket of snow across northern areas. Snow also remains on the ground across parts of the southern Plains in the wake of last week’s storm. At sunrise Monday, official snow depths included 4 inches in Dodge City, Kansas; Oklahoma City, Oklahoma; and Amarillo, Texas.

Across the Corn Belt, seasonal weather prevails throughout the region, while light snow is falling west of the Mississippi River. Snow depths greater than one foot are still common in the western Corn Belt.

In the South, scattered rain showers are affecting southern Florida and the western Gulf Coast region. Meanwhile, snow remains on the ground from Arkansas to North Carolina. At sunrise Monday, snow depths were 3 inches at both Nashville, Tennessee, and Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina.

In the West, rain and snow showers are returning to western Oregon and northern California. Elsewhere, cool, dry weather prevails. Spring and summer runoff prospects significantly improved during January in California and the Southwest.