System Stalling in Northern Plains This Weekend

In the Midwest, some showers moved into the far south and across the far north this week, but much of the region has been dry. That is outside of Missouri which has seen a wave of showers move in late this week that will continue through the weekend, and may clip parts of Iowa as well. Otherwise, much of the region will stay dry well into next week. A system stalling in the Northern Plains will eventually bring a front into the west toward the end of next week, which is expected to bring at least some showers there and eastward into next weekend.

In the Northern Plains, isolated showers have dotted the region this week, but overall, it has been much drier. That will change as a system moves in and stalls this weekend, bringing rounds of showers and thunderstorms through the middle of next week. Some areas of heavy rain are forecast, especially in Montana.

In the Central and Southern Plains, heavy rain swept through Texas earlier this week and that produced a small low-pressure center that has brought a band of showers slowly drifting northward over the last couple of days. That band has brought some rather widespread rainfall and pockets of heavy rain, helping to ease drought. A system that will stall in the Northern Plains this weekend will help to initiate daily showers and thunderstorms through at least the middle of next week as well. Some additional areas of heavy rain should be expected, easing drought concerns in some areas. However, deficits are rather large across a vast area of the region and will remain so even after a busy weather pattern.

In the Delta, an old front from last week continued to produce showers and thunderstorms throughout the week. Pockets of heavy rain have fallen and drought has been reduced significantly. Some long-term deficits remain in the region, however, which will need more rain. The front will continue to produce showers through Monday before getting pushed south into the Gulf. After a couple of drier days, showers may return later next week with a front moving through the Midwest.

In the Southeast U.S., an old front continued to produce widespread showers and thunderstorms throughout the week. Recent heavy rain has significantly reduced drought in a lot of the region, though long-term deficits remain large in a lot of areas. Showers will continue through Monday, especially south, before the front gets pushed into the Gulf and off the Southeast coast. After a few drier days, showers may redevelop late next week or weekend.

In the Western U.S., a system moved into the region this week and has stalled, producing widespread showers and thunderstorms for the northern half of the region, particularly in Oregon where some heavy rain has occurred on the eastern side of the Cascades. The system will slowly move northeast into the Northern Plains this weekend, taking the showers with it. Drier conditions should follow for most of the region through next week, though some areas in the northwest and extreme southeast may be clipped by a couple of systems moving through.

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