Pictured: Heat of the Corn Belt has seen a more volatile thermal pattern accompanied by wet weather during springtime.
Theme of spring across the Corn Belt has been a more volatile thermal pattern featuring leftover warm spells which were frequent during late winter coupled with sharp cold regimes featuring late season freezes. We’ve been warm this week and 80’s will last through Thursday. The rains are on the way with severe storms dumping 1-3 in. the next 24 hours from the southwest Plains to Iowa followed by more severe storms in Iowa, Wisconsin and Illinois on Wednesday causing an additional 1-2 in. of rain. On Thursday the slow moving cold front reignites severe storms in the central Great Plains with another 1-3 in. of rain likely. 3-day rainfall totals are in the 2-4 in. range for west-central Texas to Wisconsin. Late this week and into the weekend the severe storms and attendant heavy rain regroup in the southern Plains and extend to the eastern Corn Belt suppressing this week’s warmth.
Pictured: The 72-hour rainfall forecast from NOAA (left) and day 4/5 rainfall forecast from NOAA (right).
A pattern change will follow for next week likely lasting past Memorial Day. The 6-10 and 11-15 day forecasts are drier and cooler across the Great Plains. We’re not expecting extreme chill as seen with the last outbreak but a fairly long duration cool regime is likely. During the period the rains shift into the East and South States leaving the Midwest dry.
Pictured: Pattern change in the 6-10 day period as the Central U.S. is drier and cooler.
