Stalled System, Then Front Producing Showers This Week

In the Midwest, showers were scattered across the west this weekend while eastern areas remained dry. Pockets of heavy rain moved through parts of Iowa and Missouri. Though showers will be limited early this week, the front to a system will move into the region for late week and stall for this weekend into next week. Periods of showers and thunderstorms will form along the front, increasing soil moisture for some areas that were starting to get fairly dry.

In the Northern Plains, a system moved into the region and stalled, producing steady moderate to heavy rain in Montana and scattered showers farther east. The system will remain in the region through Wednesday before pushing eastward. However, another system will move through right behind it for late this week and another looks poised to move through with at least some showers this weekend. The recent and forecast rainfall should do a good job of increasing soil moisture and reducing the impacts of drought in the region.

In the Central and Southern Plains, widespread areas of showers and thunderstorms moved through over the weekend, getting some heavy rain to move through eastern Kansas and parts of Nebraska. Western and southern areas did not see nearly as much precipitation as other areas, but the system responsible will be stalled to the north through Wednesday, producing widespread areas of showers and thunderstorms throughout the region for the next few days. Even after the system moves eastward, the front to the system will likely stall out for several days afterward and possibly through the weekend, creating more opportunities for rainfall that would increase soil moisture and reduce drought intensity.

In the Delta, an old front continued to produce scattered showers across the region over the weekend. A cluster of thunderstorms will move through the north on Monday and the front may produce more showers on Tuesday before finally making it into the Gulf. A few dry days will follow, but the recent heavy rainfall has done a lot to increase soil moisture and reduce drought in the region.

In the Southeast U.S., scattered showers and thunderstorms again filled much of the region over the weekend. After more showers and thunderstorms for Monday and Tuesday, the region looks to finally dry out. The recent few weeks of rainfall have done a great deal to increase soil moisture and reduce drought region-wide, but large-scale deficits still remain in a lot of areas. Despite that, soil moisture is looking really good. The drier pattern may be a concern though if it extends too long into June.

In the Western U.S., a system moved out of the northwest and into the Northern Plains, but still produced some areas of showers over the weekend that may have increased soil moisture a little bit. Though a couple of little systems will move across the far north this week, much of the region will be drier. Even a system moving in this weekend may not produce much rainfall. Drought coverage continues to increase in a lot of areas.

John Baranick can be reached at john.baranick@dtn.com