Across the Corn Belt, mild weather accompanies a gradual increase in cloudiness and shower activity. Early Friday, rain showers are occurring in the middle Mississippi Valley and environs. Later Friday, high temperatures should exceed 55°F in the southwestern Corn Belt, with all areas of the Midwest rising above 32°F. Snow covers just 13% of the continental U.S. on December 22, lowest coverage on that date in more than two decades.
On the Plains, rain showers are ending across eastern sections of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas.
