Heat early in the season on the central southern Plains building to the NE

weather

Heat early in the season on the central southern Plains building to the NE

Across the corn belt, another significant rain event is bringing field work to a virtual standstill in the Dakotas and western Minnesota. In contrast, a sudden heat wave in the rest of the region favors a gradual acceleration of corn and soybean planting due to rising soil temperatures and dry fields. Later Monday, high temperatures were expected to reach 90F or more in many areas west of the Mississippi River, including parts of Iowa, Missouri and eastern Nebraska.

On the Plains, cool, rainy weather in Montana and the Dakotas keeps field work to a minimum. Rain has mixed with or turned to wet snow in parts of Montana. In stark contrast, an early-season heatwave blankets the southeastern half of the Plains, keeping drought-hit rangelands, pastures, winter wheat and emerging summer crops under pressure. Monday’s high temperatures are approaching 100F in central Kansas.

To the south, cool, windy weather prevails in the Atlantic coast states except Florida. The rest of the region is experiencing a summer heatwave, with high temperatures expected to top 90F in the western Gulf Coast region on Monday. The sunny, hot weather encourages field work and a rapid pace of crop development.

To the west, the southern Rocky Mountain wildfire situation remains serious amid increasing drought, early-season heat, low humidity and gusty winds. Any new fires could spread quickly, and existing fires — like the 176,000-acre Calf Canyon Fire near Las Vegas, New Mexico — have the potential to exhibit erratic behavior. Otherwise, the northern Great Basin and Northwest will experience below-average temperatures and widespread rain and snow showers. Frost was noted in several areas Monday morning, including eastern Washington, western Oregon and northwestern California.