Weather

A winter-like look, feel across the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, cold weather prevails in the wake of a cold front’s passage. Across the upper Midwest, Tuesday morning’s low temperatures generally ranged from 15 to 30°. Early Tuesday, a band of accumulating snow is spreading across parts of the Midwest, including northern Missouri and central Illinois.

On the Plains, unusually cold air continues to drive southward, resulting in daily-record low temperatures for April 20 in locations such as Akron, Colorado (9°), and Goodland, Kansas (19°). Gusty winds accompany the late-season cold blast, which resulted in freezes Tuesday morning as far south as the Lubbock area in western Texas. In addition, snow is falling early Tuesday across portions of the central Plains, including southern and eastern Kansas.

In the South, warm, dry weather across most of the region favors fieldwork and crop development. A few rain showers are occurring, however, across the lower Southeast. On April 18, Florida led the nation with 11% of its peanut crop planted, while Mississippi paced the country with 15% of its intended soybean acreage sown. Lingering wetness in the lower Mississippi Valley left topsoil moisture 43% surplus on April 18 in Louisiana, along with 31% in Arkansas.

In the West, cold air continues to push westward against the eastern slopes of the Rockies. The remainder of the region is experiencing warm, dry weather. On April 18, Washington led the country in planting progress for barley (74% complete) and spring wheat (71% complete), while Idaho led with 74% of its intended sugarbeet acreage planted. Farther south, Arizona led the U.S.—among major production states—with 43% of its cotton acreage planted by April 18.