Eastern Cornbelt:
After unseasonably warm weather during the week, highs were expected to drop into the 50s in central and southern Illinois by the end of the week, ushering in potentially strong thunderstorms over the coming weekend.
Similar conditions were reported in central Indiana, where highs pushed into the 60s after starting the week in the high 30s and 40s. Forecasts warned of a wet weekend for much of the state, followed by cooler weather.
Parts of northern Ohio were blanketed with 1-3 inches of lake effect snow at midweek, followed by warmer weather that pushed highs into the 50s by Dec. 10. Strong winds and possible thunderstorms were in the weekend forecast for the region.
Western Cornbelt:
Following a stretch of mild temperatures in early December that included a high of 63 degrees on Dec. 5 in Sioux City, Iowa, residents in parts of Nebraska, Iowa, and South Dakota were bracing for the first big winter storm of the season on Dec. 10-11.
A winter storm warning was posted late in the week for northeastern Nebraska, southeastern South Dakota, and much of northern Iowa, with forecasts warning of 2-5 inches of snow in Norfolk, Neb., 3-7 inches in Sioux City, S.D., and up to 10 inches in Sheldon, Iowa.
A separate system was taking aim at Missouri, with potentially strong storms possible in the St. Louis area late on Dec. 10. The weather could put a lid on fall ammonia movement, which was still running strong in parts of Missouri during the week. Some sources speculated that the brisk fall ammonia pace has cut into the expected spring demand by as much as 50 percent.
Southern Plains:
Much of the Southern Plains was experiencing a seesaw in temperatures in early December. After unseasonably warm weather during the first days of the month, a cold front dropped highs into the 40s across Kansas and Oklahoma on Dec. 6, down dramatically from the 70s experienced over the prior weekend.
Temperatures gradually warmed again during the week, with highs once again reaching the 70s by Dec. 10 across Kansas and Oklahoma, and even pushing into the 80s in central Texas. Another cold front was on tap for the coming weekend, however, with lows dropping to the 50s and 60s in Texas and down to the 20s and 30s in Colorado.
Snow was also in the weekend forecast for higher elevations in Colorado and New Mexico.
South Central:
After a round of strong thunderstorms over the previous weekend, most of Tennessee experienced cool weather for the week, with lows in the 20s and high only reaching the low- to mid-40s. Relatively cool temperatures were also reported across Arkansas during the week, with an increased chance of potentially strong thunderstorms over the coming weekend.
By contrast, unseasonably warm temperatures in the mid-70s across Louisiana and Mississippi ushered in some strong thunderstorms, with reports of damaging winds in some areas. Western Kentucky was also bracing for some potentially strong storms heading into the weekend.
Southeast:
After a cool start to the week, temperatures warmed to the 70s across Alabama and Georgia by Dec. 9, with an increased chance of thunderstorms over the coming weekend. Temperatures in the 80s were common across southern Florida during the week.
Although midweek rains were reported across parts of Virginia and North Carolina, more than half of North Carolina is now experiencing severe drought after an unusually dry autumn.
Most of the fall harvest was over in the Southeast, although sources said growers were still working on the last cotton acres in Georgia.