Rain Continues Across the South, Much Drier North This Week

In the Midwest, a system moved south and out of the region over the weekend. There were some pockets of heavy rain that fell before it moved out. Hot and dry weather will reduce soil moisture for the first half of the week. There may be a front that moves in on Wednesday and Thursday across the east that could bring some isolated showers, but would be spotty. A system will move through this weekend with more scattered showers.

In the Northern Plains, it was largely dry over the weekend. Very hot temperatures in the region will suppress showers and thunderstorms this week. But if anything can develop on the edge of the heat, it could be severe. This continues through the weekend. Otherwise, soil moisture is falling rapidly. Chances for rain may increase next week.

In the Central and Southern Plains, a front pushed into the Southern Plains over the weekend where scattered showers occurred, some with heavy rain. Showers will continue to develop there throughout the week, resulting in some heavy rain and localized flooding. Areas of the Central Plains will remain dry while soil moisture falls rapidly there.

In the Delta, a system dropped south into the region over the weekend, producing widespread showers and thunderstorms. That system will remain stalled in the region through at least Wednesday as showers and storms will continue to develop. A front will move through Sunday into early next week that should bring more precipitation through. Overall, soil moisture remains high across the vast majority of the region.

In the Southeast U.S., a system dropped south into the region over the weekend, producing widespread showers and thunderstorms. The system will remain in the region through at least Wednesday and could continue showers afterward as well. A system will drop a cold front into the region on Sunday into next week, continuing the chances for showers. Some drier areas will receive some needed precipitation. But the showers will be the pop-up type, bringing some heavy rainfall to some areas and completely missing others.

In the Western U.S., the monsoon is starting to become more consistent and showers started to move into the south over the weekend. Those showers will spread west and north throughout the week. If not for these showers, the region would be dry. Drought that continues in the region will get some sporadic improvement due to these monsoon showers. But we could also see lightning sparking wildfires in the short term.

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