The weather forecast. You know you’re paying extra attention if you live in the Upper Midwest as I do (Minnesota and any of the surrounding states). Simply put, you’re wondering when the white stuff falling from the sky will finally end. After all, it’s getting really hard to find places to pile the extra snow when it’s time to shovel (or snow blow) the driveway. So, I figured it was time to call up my favorite weather guy, Ryan Martin of Warsaw, Indiana, to get a weather forecast of what’s coming for different areas of the country in late winter and early spring.
“From Iowa and northward through the Upper Midwest, it’s been a very snow-filled winter to this point,” he said. “We’ve exceeded total snowfall amounts in our forecasts by a little bit. One thing you need to note is the fact that it’s still February.
“We generally expect the snowfall patterns to gradually start to ease up in mid-to-late March,” he added. “I think we’re going to be on track to see that this year. Am I calling for an immediate stoppage of now? No. What I do see is temps switching from below normal to normal to slightly above normal. You’ll see more rain mixing in with the snow as March progresses.”
In the weather forecast for the eastern Corn Belt, including the Ohio River Valley, Indiana, Ohio, and the Great Lakes Region, Martin says things take a more active turn as February turns into early March. There’s going to be some “excessive” precipitation moving through that area.
“Temps are going to be on a roller coaster,” Martin said. “We had the brutal cold snap a few weeks ago but are now transitioning into a period during which temps will average out to normal. But, keep in mind that means you could be ten degrees above normal one day and ten below the next day. I’m seeing a lot of rain in the eastern Corn Belt region, which will have a big impact on Ohio River levels, mid-and-lower-Mississippi River levels, and even the Illinois River levels.
Find out Ryan’s weather forecast for the Plains States, the Delta region, as well as the western United States forecast.