Seventy-degree one-day temperature swings and rain and snow characterized the movement of a cold front into the southern U.S. earlier in the week, and it looks to stick around for much of the week. While it’s created a lot of stress for livestock and inflicted some damage to crops like edible beans and sugar beets in the Plains, consistent cloud cover through the week should protect Midwestern and northern Plains corn and soybeans from potential frost damage. Looking long-term, though, forecasters say a La Nina system could keep conditions warmer and drier than normal for much of the nation’s center this fall and into early winter. See more on the volatile weather here.