Eastern Cornbelt:
Much colder weather and scattered snowfall was reported across the Eastern Cornbelt during the first days of February. The week began with freezing rain in central Illinois, but subzero wind chills were expected across central and northern Indiana by the end of the week.
Snowfall was reported in parts of northern Ohio late on Feb. 2, with temperatures dropping to the low teens on Feb. 3. The precipitation and cold weather were part of a system moving in from Michigan, where bands of snow and lows in the teens and single digits dominated early February weather conditions.
Western Cornbelt:
Frigid temperatures were reported across northern Iowa late in the week, with wind chills dropping to the negative 20s and 30s in some locations. Mason City was expecting the coldest wind chill at -31 late on Feb. 2, but a warmup was on tap for the weekend, with a high of 41 expected in Des Moines by Feb. 4.
Highs in the mid-20s to mid-30s were reported across Nebraska at midweek, with lows falling to the single digits and teens.
Parts of Missouri were in the path of the powerful ice storm that churned through the southern regions during the week. Up to a tenth of an inch of ice coated St. Louis and Springfield at midweek, while parts of southern Missouri picked up an inch of snow and sleet
Southern Plains:
A powerful winter storm brought snow, sleet, freezing rain, and frigid temperatures to a wide swath of the Southern Plains at midweek. The system left 425,000 homes and businesses in Texas without power on Feb. 1-2, with real temperatures dropping to 28 degrees in Dallas and down to the single digits in parts of Kansas.
Parts of Oklahoma and New Mexico were also hit with sleet and freezing rain during the week, though highs in the 40s and 50s were expected in Oklahoma and eastern Kansas by the coming weekend.
“We are frozen up in the fields today, but that will thaw over the weekend,” said one Kansas contact at midweek. “But then it will be mud, with good moisture between rains and snow. We’re not out of a drought yet, but things look pretty good considering.”
“It’s very wet here, almost no fieldwork going on as of a week ago,” added a Texas source. “We will need a week of sunshine and a north wind to get back going. We’re delivering seed, as the first corn will go in the ground historically by the 14th and then be in full swing by the end of the month.”
South Central:
A four-day ice storm crippled large areas of the South Central region during the week, with Arkansas taking the biggest hit. While northern Arkansas experienced mostly sleet from the powerful system, ice totals across central and southern Arkansas ranged from a quarter- to a half-inch.
Winter weather advisories and ice storm warnings were also in effect for many counties in Tennessee, Kentucky, northern Louisiana, and Mississippi at midweek. As of midday Feb. 2, there were approximately 75,000 residents and businesses without power in Arkansas, compared with 24,000 in Mississippi and just over 20,000 in Tennessee.
Southeast:
The powerful ice storm that hammered the Southern Plains and South Central region also brought heavy rain and cold temperatures to the Southeast. The heaviest rain was reported in Alabama and northern Georgia, where 1-2 inches fell on Feb. 1-2.
Sources reported steady rainfall in the Carolinas at midweek as well. “We are wet, no activity, just rain in the forecast,” commented one source at midweek. Another source said lime was moving to the field prior to the precipitation, but activity was stalled in early February.
In Florida, by contrast, highs reached the 80s across central and southern portions of the state in early February.