Weather

Early-season heat on the central, southern Plains building northeastward

Across the Corn Belt, another significant rain event is keeping fieldwork at a virtual standstill across the Dakotas and western Minnesota.  In contrast, a sudden heat surge across the remainder of the region favors a gradual acceleration of corn and soybean planting activities, due to rising soil temperatures and drying fields.  Later Monday, high temperatures should reach 90°F or higher in many areas west of the Mississippi River, including parts of Iowa, Missouri, and eastern Nebraska.

On the Plains, cool, rainy weather in Montana and the Dakotas is keeping fieldwork at a minimum.  Rain has mixed with or changed to wet snow in parts of Montana.  In stark contrast, an early-season heat wave covers the southeastern half of the Plains, maintaining stress on drought-affected rangeland, pastures, winter wheat, and emerging summer crops.  Monday’s high temperatures will approach 100°F as far north as central Kansas.

In the South, cool, breezy weather lingers in the Atlantic Coast States, except Florida.  The remainder of the region is experiencing a summer-like heat surge, with Monday’s high temperatures expected to top 90°F in the western Gulf Coast region.  The sunny, hot weather is promoting fieldwork and a rapid pace of crop development.

In the West, the southern Rockies’ wildfire situation remains serious, amid worsening drought, early-season heat, low humidity levels, and gusty winds.  Any new fires could rapidly spread and existing fires—such as the 176,000-acre Calf Canyon Fire near Las Vegas, New Mexico—have the potential to exhibit erratic behavior.  Elsewhere, below-normal temperatures and widely scattered rain and snow showers prevail in the northern Great Basin and the Northwest.  Frost was noted Monday morning in several areas, including eastern Washington, western Oregon, and northwestern California.