Weather

Beneficial rains for the Heartland; much cooler

During the next several days, showers and thunderstorms will remain active from the central and southern Plains into the mid-South and Midwest, generally benefiting rangeland, pastures, and summer crops. In contrast, mostly dry weather will prevail during the next 5 days in the West. In addition, only light rain will fall in New England and the Deep South, excluding southern Florida.

Meanwhile, hot weather will prevail into next week in the Northeast and gradually expand across the West. However, cool weather will become firmly established across the Plains and Midwest, especially late in the weekend and early next week.

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for the likelihood of below-normal temperatures across large sections of the Plains, Midwest, and mid-South, while hotter-than-normal weather will cover the Atlantic Seaboard, the Gulf Coast region, and the West.

Meanwhile, near- or above-normal rainfall across most of the country should contrast with drier-than-normal conditions in southern Florida and across the nation’s northern tier from the Pacific Northwest into the upper Midwest.