Cooler and Wet in the Corn Belt This Week
A slow-moving cold front will provide scattered showers throughout the Corn Belt this week along with a brief cool down. Temperatures remain warmer in the Southern Plains and Delta with only some spotty showers later in the week.
Late last week and over the past weekend, widespread heavy rainfall tagged much of the Upper Midwest. Central Minnesota, southern Wisconsin and central Indiana saw some of the heaviest rain with totals approaching 2-4 inches. This week, a slow-moving cold front will provide lighter showers throughout the Corn Belt. Southern Wisconsin may again be the target of some heavier rainfall, with totals approaching 1-2 inches. A few days of cooler temperatures will also follow the cold front with highs in the 70s and 80s, but the warmth will return by the weekend and next week with highs once again returning to the 90s and 100s.
The eastern Dakotas received some beneficial rain late last week, and a cold front is sweeping through the region on Monday. Rainfall will likely be light along the cold front; however, a few strong to severe storms could target the eastern Dakotas. High temperatures will drop into the 70s and 80s Tuesday into Wednesday with lows getting into the upper 40s and 50s. By Friday and Saturday, temperatures start rebounding above average with highs once again in the 90s and 100s. Rainfall will be hit or miss late this week into the upcoming weekend. Model guidance suggests the return of a more active pattern by next week, which could help boost topsoil moisture and place a small dent in the drought.
Dry conditions plagued much of the Central and Southern Plains this past weekend. Later Monday into Tuesday, a cold front will enter Nebraska. The cold front will slow down and continue to provide shower chances to Nebraska and Kansas by Wednesday. Rainfall across southern Nebraska could approach 1-2 inches by the middle of the week. Showers are expected to be lighter across Kansas with most areas seeing less than one inch. Late this week, isolated showers will develop across West Texas and Oklahoma. There is some uncertainty about where the heaviest rain will set up across these areas, but there is a slight risk of over one inch of rain. Heat will continue across the Southern Plains this week with high temperatures in the triple digits for Texas and Oklahoma into early next week. Temperatures will cool off more significantly across Nebraska, with highs in the 70s and 80s during the middle of the week.
Most of the Mississippi Delta missed out on the heavier rain showers this past weekend as they tracked north and east of the region. Showers will remain limited throughout much of this week besides some moderate chances returning on Friday. The coverage of showers is highly uncertain, but temperatures will continue to be warm. Highs will be in the 80s and 90s and with limited showers, this could cause additional stress for cotton. Pop-up, isolated showers and storms could develop this weekend into early next week, but the coverage of showers will likely limit significant improvements to the drought.
Widespread rain showers targeted the Southeast over the weekend with the heaviest rain across southern Georgia. Rainfall amounts along the Coastal Plain approached 2.5-5.5 inches. This week, a stalled front will continue to provide daily chances for pop-up showers and storms through Friday. By Friday, rainfall totals in northern Georgia could approach 1-2 inches. Rain totals diminish farther to the west, towards western Alabama and eastern Mississippi, where they could see less than 0.5 inch by Friday. With some extra cloud cover in place across the Southeast this week, temperatures will generally hover right around average with highs in the 80s and 90s.
Monsoonal showers targeted New Mexico and south-central Colorado this weekend. Elsewhere across the West, mostly dry conditions prevailed this past weekend. Heat will gradually build across the West this week with much of California, Nevada and the Pacific Northwest having highs in the 90s and 100s by Wednesday and Thursday. In addition to the heat, dry conditions will prevail across much of the Pacific Northwest, Northern Rockies and California. The heat and dry conditions will lead to elevated wildfire conditions as well. Daily monsoonal showers will mainly target Arizona, New Mexico and southern Colorado this week.
Teresa Wells can be reached at teresa.wells@dtn.com
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