Weather

Still Winter-like across much of the Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, snow is accumulating early Friday from southeastern Iowa to northwestern Ohio. Meanwhile, a chilly rain is falling across parts of the southern Corn Belt. Friday morning’s low temperatures fell below 20º in far western sections of the Corn Belt, including parts of Nebraska.

On the Plains, a new surge of cold air is pushing southward, following Thursday’s storm system. That storm produced widespread snow in Nebraska, with official totals reaching 3.8 inches in Grand Island, 4.5 inches in Lincoln, and 5.0 inches in Omaha. Early Friday, cold, windy weather has returned across the central and southern Plains, with freezes reported as far south as the northern panhandle of Texas.

In the South, Frost and Freeze Warnings were in effect early Friday in much of North Carolina and Virginia, as well as portions of neighboring states. The cold weather continues to threaten a variety of freeze-sensitive crops, including blooming fruits. Meanwhile, milder air has overspread the mid-South, which experienced freezes earlier this week.

In the West, mild, dry weather in the Pacific Northwest favors fieldwork and crop development. Near- or below-normal temperatures cover the remainder of the region, accompanied by mostly dry weather. A few showers are developing, however, along the coast of central California.