USDA’s Joint Ag Weather Facility says in the Corn Belt, corn planting and other spring fieldwork is accelerating across the upper Midwest under a mild, dry weather regime. “In contrast, cool, cloudy, rainy weather lingers from the Ohio Valley into the lower Great Lakes region, keeping outdoor activities at a standstill,” USDA details. Lowland flooding in the middle Mississippi Valley has left some agricultural land underwater and has disrupted barge traffic, USDA continues.
In the West, USDA reports cooler air is arriving along and near the Pacific Coast. “A few showers accompany the cooler weather in the Pacific Northwest,” USDA details. Elsewhere, warm, dry weather is promoting fieldwork and crop growth, but is also melting high-elevation snowpack and causing melt-induced rises in river levels, USDA continues.
On the Plains, warm, dry weather prevails. “Some of the warmest weather is occurring on the northern Plains, where today’s high temperatures will range from 80°F to 90°F,” USDA continues. Activities include an acceleration of previously delayed spring wheat planting on the northern Plains and assessments of winter wheat damage and livestock losses in blizzard-affected areas of western Kansas and environs, according to USDA.
In the South, USDA reports significant lowland flooding persists in key agricultural areas of northeastern Arkansas and neighboring areas, although rain is ending. “Meanwhile, beneficial showers dot Florida’s peninsula, while heavy showers and locally severe thunderstorms are affecting the southern Mid-Atlantic coastal plain,” USDA continues. Elsewhere, it says very cool, breezy weather prevails in the wake of a departing storm system.
In its five-day outlook, USDA says storm system currently centered over the central Appalachians will drift into the lower Great Lakes region during the weekend. “Additional rainfall could reach 1 to 2 inches in the Northeast, with higher amounts possible along the Atlantic Coast,” USDA continues. In other areas east of the Mississippi River, cool, dry weather will prevail into early next week. “Starting on May 7, frost will be a threat in portions of the Great Lakes and Northeastern states,” USDA details. Meanwhile, warm weather will prevail into next week across the nation’s midsection, but cooler, showery weather will overspread much of the West, USDA details.
