In the West, chilly weather prevails. Beneficial precipitation is spreading across northern and central California, while locally heavy rain and snow showers dot the Northwest.

On the Plains, recovery efforts are underway in parts of eastern Kansas, where overnight thunderstorms resulted in localized wind damage. Farther north, wind-driven snow is maintaining livestock stress and causing travel disruptions in the Dakotas, where blizzard and winter storm warnings remain in effect. Meanwhile, breezy, dry conditions persist on the southern High Plains, following Tuesday’s dust storm.

In the Corn Belt, a late-winter storm centered over southern Minnesota is producing locally severe thunderstorms in the Ohio Valley and wind-driven snow in the upper Midwest and the upper Great Lakes region. The upper Midwestern snow is stressing livestock and causing travel disruptions, and a blizzard warning remains in effect in parts of the Dakotas. Meanwhile, rain is falling in the eastern Corn Belt.

In the South, a line of locally severe thunderstorms stretches from Kentucky into northeastern Texas. The line has a history of producing damaging winds and isolated tornadoes, with some of the most widespread damage reported overnight in eastern Kansas and southern Missouri. Meanwhile, warm weather across the Deep South is promoting early-season fieldwork and the growth of pastures and winter grains.

Outlook: An extremely active weather pattern will continue during the next several days. A strong low-pressure system currently centered over the upper Mississippi Valley will drift eastward, resulting in heavy snow from the Great Lakes region into parts of New England. Farther south, locally severe thunderstorms will sweep across the Mid-South, lower Midwest, and Southeast. Meanwhile, a new storm will begin to take shape over the Northwest. By week’s end, the new low-pressure system will track from the southern Plains to the Great Lakes region, resulting in some additional snow in the upper Midwest and rain across the South and East. The NWS 6- to 10-day outlook for March 5-9 calls for near- to above-normal temperatures across the eastern two-thirds of the nation, while colder-than-normal weather will be confined to the West. Meanwhile, near- to above-normal precipitation across the majority of the U.S. will contrast with drier-than-normal conditions across the nation’s southern tier.