Big System Moving Through West, Northern Plains This Weekend

In the Midwest, a front slid through the region earlier this week, bringing areas of scattered showers and a couple of stripes of heavier rain, especially near the Ohio River. That has helped with the drought situation a bit, but other areas that did not see the heavy rain saw increasing drought instead. A few showers will go through Thursday and Friday but will be spotty. A front will move into western areas with showers Sunday and Monday and more rain is forecast to move through the region next week.

In the Northern Plains, drier conditions occurred this week. But a system will move through this weekend, likely with areas of more heavy rain. Some snow may mix in over Montana as well. There is potential for more precipitation to fall around the middle of next week as well. Soil moisture is mostly stocked in the region currently.

In the Central and Southern Plains, a front dropped through the region earlier this week and brought scattered showers and thunderstorms. A couple of streaks of heavier rain occurred as well. However, across Oklahoma and Texas, areas that didn’t see rain saw increasing drought as the region braces for a likely dry winter season due to La Nina. A front will move into the region this weekend and scattered showers are likely to form. The Central Plains could see better precipitation coverage and intensity next week as the front lingers for a few days.

In the Delta, a front brought through some scattered showers, which helped northern areas with drought due to heavy rain. The rain also gave another temporary boost to water levels on the Mississippi River. However, dry weather is in the forecast through most of next week and the trend toward increasing drought continues.

In the Southeast, a front moved through with scattered showers this week, and some heavy rain across the north. But most of the region saw little to no precipitation. The front lingers off the Atlantic Coast and will turn into a bigger system over the ocean. It may mean some heavy rain for the coastal Carolinas, but nowhere else. Drier conditions elsewhere could lead to more drought expansion.

In the Western U.S., showers continued around New Mexico this week, but most other areas were dry. That is changing for the end of the week as a dying tropical storm off the coast of Mexico brings through some heavier rainfall into the Southeast through the weekend. At the same time, a system will be moving through the Pacific Northwest, producing scattered showers and areas of heavy precipitation of its own, including mountain snow. Another system will likely move through California early next week and then through the rest of the region, bringing more precipitation. With chances continuing to increase across the region, the ongoing drought will find some improving conditions.

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