People living in the Midwest finally got a bit of relief from the stifling heat this week as a cold front moved into the region. The cold weather pattern shift advanced over the Ohio River Valley and Mid-Mississippi River Valley, bringing with it unstable weather in the form of widespread showers and thunderstorms.
The National Weather Service said Thursday that some of the storms cold be severe across portions of the Midwest and threaten strong winds, large hail and periodic heavy rainfall. The north side of the system is set to draw moisture in from the Atlantic Ocean wherein it will produce showers across the Midwest and into the Northeast.
The cold front that is hanging over the mid part of the US will result in much cooler temperatures with highs expected in the 70s across the Midwest and Great Lakes region. The cooler temperatures will be very much welcomed by folks living in this part of the country as this summer has been unusually hot and humid with temperatures hovering in the high 90s for the most part. There may be some severe weather Friday in portions of the Midwest as the cold front pushes through.
Whether or not the wet weather will provide ample rainfall to recharge drought-stricken soils in the Midwest is yet to be seen although it’s doubtful. Most forecasters agree that lower temperatures and rainfall forecasts for portions of the Midwest will fall short of breaking the drought that’s pushed up crop prices for several weeks. During July, the drought covered over 56 percent of the country which is the worst drought the US has seen in over 50 years. The National Weather Service is predicting that most of the Midwest will see much less rain than it normally does through the end of August even with the cooler temperatures and rain. Thus far, corn crops for the most part are past the point at which rain could help harvests although soybeans still have a chance if more rain falls.
An El Nino or warming of ocean water is developing in the central Pacific which could signal a shift in atmospheric moisture patterns over the next couple of months. An El Nino typically brings about cool, wet weather which would be very helpful in breaking the drought that is gripping the majority of the nation. An El Nino also would result in heavy snowfall amounts this winter across much of the country with an abundance of rainfall over the southern Plains.