Weather
Mild, early fall weather pattern continues
Across the Corn Belt, mild, dry weather prevails in most areas, despite an increase in cloudiness. However, a few showers dot the middle Mississippi Valley. On October 4, the soybean harvest was 25 percentage points ahead of the 5-year average in Minnesota and North Dakota. In addition, more than one-quarter (26%) of Michigan’s winter wheat was planted during the week ending October 4.
On the Plains, mild, dry weather favors summer crop maturation and harvesting, as well as winter wheat planting. However, winter wheat planting lags the normal pace across the southern half of the Plains, in part due to concerns about a lack of moisture for crop establishment.
In the South, dry weather has returned to the Carolinas, but recovery efforts continue in areas affected by recent and ongoing flooding. During the week ending October 4, a condition decline was noted for cotton in North Carolina, where the portion of the crop rated in good to excellent condition fell from 64 to 54%. In contrast very dry conditions persist from the Mississippi Delta westward.
In the West, cool weather and scattered showers continue from southeastern California into the Four Corners States. In contrast, warm, dry weather prevails in northern California and the Northwest. On October 4, Oregon led the nation with 68% of its rangeland and pastures rated very poor to poor.
Forecast High Temperatures (National)
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