Ag Weather Forum

As noted last week here, https://www.dtnpf.com/…, La Nina has set up to produce a very active weather pattern across the United States for the first couple of weeks of February. Widespread areas of rain, thunderstorms, freezing rain and snow are all going to combine to make a messy situation during that time.

The first system is already in progress with a storm that has moved through much of the Western U.S., dumping moderate to heavy precipitation in the Pacific Northwest, specifically in northern California. That system is moving into the Plains on Feb. 5 and will cruise eastward with the wintry mix through Feb. 6 before it leaves off the East Coast.

Snow has already been a factor for areas in the Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies with this system but will also move through the northern Midwest and Northeast. To the south, some areas of moderate rain and thunderstorms will move through the Lower Mississippi Valley into the Southeast. And in between, areas of freezing rain are set to pop up from northern Missouri and southern Iowa through the Northeast. The areas most likely to see heavy freezing rain potential are from northern Indiana into Pennsylvania, where ice accretions around 0.50 inches will be possible. Snowfall amounts will not be as significant as previous storms in the U.S. but are amounting to more than 6 inches (about 15 centimeters) in the Canadian Prairies.

The next system will be released through the U.S. in short order, moving into California on Feb. 6 and continuing across the country into the weekend. Like the first storm, this system is forecast to bring rain, thunderstorms, freezing rain and snow.

While rain, thunderstorms and freezing rain could have very similar tracks and amounts across the country, the snowfall will be different. Instead of hitting the Canadian Prairies, this system is likely to bring a band of heavy snow from the Northern Plains through the northern Midwest, Great Lakes and Northeast. Areas of more than 6 inches of snow are likely to be found again.

Colder air will push through behind this system, from its current pool in Western Canada and the Northern Plains through more of the Central and Southern Plains and Midwest. The coldest weather will remain in the Northwest, but this deeper penetration of colder air will setup another system or two for next week across the south.

Energy begins to move into the Southern Plains on Feb. 11 and will move northeast through the Mid-Atlantic by Feb. 12. The same concerns over freezing rain and heavy snow will follow this system as well, though they will be located a few hundred miles south than the systems this week. That puts the Southern Plains, Ohio Valley and Mid-Atlantic at more of a risk with the freezing rain, snow and potential issues.

Another system is likely to move through late week and next weekend (Feb. 14-16) with another the following week (Feb. 18-21). They could follow similar tracks to the southern storm, but that is a long way out and models may certainly change with regards to the track, timing and impacts from the systems. But regardless, many wintry impacts are forecast to move through the U.S. during the next couple of weeks.

To find more weather conditions and your local forecast from DTN, head over to https://www.dtnpf.com/…

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

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