Weather

Heartland precipitation aggravates ongoing flooding

Across the Corn Belt, cool weather across the upper Midwest is slowing the snowmelt rate, although moderate to major lowland flooding continues along several rivers. Meanwhile, rain is falling across portions of the southern Corn Belt. Producers in the western Corn Belt are monitoring the progress of an approaching storm system with regard to flood-recovery efforts.

On the Plains, warmth lingers across Texas, where spring fieldwork continues. Farther north, however, a significant precipitation event is underway across Nebraska and environs, leading to concerns in areas where levees and roads have not yet been repaired in the wake of historic, mid-March flooding.

In the South, showers and thunderstorms are slowing spring fieldwork across the northwestern fringe of the region, including parts of Arkansas. In contrast, warm, dry Southeastern weather favors a rapid planting pace.

In the West, rain and snow showers linger across northern California and the Northwest. Recent storminess has boosted the average water equivalency of the Sierra Nevada snowpack to 45 inches, approximately 160% of the normal peak seasonal value. Elsewhere, dry weather prevails in the Southwest.