Across the Corn Belt, scattered frost was noted Friday morning in the Great Lakes region, although most locations reported lower temperatures earlier in the week. Meanwhile, showers and thunderstorms in areas west of the Mississippi River are halting fieldwork but improving topsoil moisture for recently planted corn and soybeans. By April 21, the U.S. corn crop was 12% planted and 3% emerged, compared to the respective 5-year averages of 10 and 2%.
On the Plains, thunderstorms are rumbling across the southern half of the region.
