News

Old Man Winter late but unrelenting

An ag meteorologist is calling for artic air to hang over the Midwest for most of February.

Greg Soulje tells Brownfield the Polar Vortex is expected to cause bitter and even record-setting cold past the medium-range forecast.

“We’re not done with what may turn out to be an extended, protracted, late in arriving mid to late wintertime season that will take us well into March and in some areas of the Heartland, probably April as well,” he forecasts.

For regions with limited or no snow cover damaging cold weather is possible even as far south as Texas and Florida. 

“That’s reparable harm on some of those winter wheat fields,” he says.

He says reoccurring snow is also likely throughout the middle of the country.

“It’s roughly the I-70 corridor, at least as it applies to the Eastern Corn Belt on southward, not much going on but we’re going to add to some snow and snow cover, albeit light and low moisture content into areas of Missouri that will be the first of several snow systems over the southern plains and far southwestern parts of the Corn Belt here in the coming days,” he says.

Soulje is forecasting for spring to likely start cold and wet, maybe even too wet for some farmers.