Across the Corn Belt, warmth in the lower Great Lakes region contrasts with cooler conditions west of the Mississippi River. In addition, rain in the southwestern Corn Belt, including parts of Iowa and Nebraska, is helping to replenish topsoil moisture, following a period of hot, mostly dry weather.

On the Plains, cooler air continues to arrive. Friday morning’s low temperatures fell below 40° in parts of eastern Montana and the western Dakotas. Meanwhile on the central and southern Plains, showers and thunderstorms are slowing winter wheat harvesting but providing generally beneficial moisture for rangeland, pastures, and summer crops, some of which have been stressed by recent heat and dryness.

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