Weather

A warm-up begins on parts of the Plains; cold weather continues across much of the Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, cold air remains in place.  Across the western Corn Belt, Wednesday morning’s low temperatures fell to 20°F or below as far south as northern Missouri.  Meanwhile, breezy conditions—accompanied by rain and snow showers—linger in the eastern Corn Belt.  Corn and soybean harvest activities continue to advance, especially in the western Corn Belt, but some Midwestern winter wheat is being planted into very dry soils.

On the Plains, dry weather prevails.  Chilly conditions linger in the eastern half of the region, but warmth is returning across the High Plains.  Freezes occurred Wednesday morning as far south as Oklahoma and eastern Texas.  In contrast, Wednesday’s high temperatures will reach 70°F or higher in much of Montana.  Soil moisture for winter wheat and cover crops is sorely lacking, leaving some fields with poor or uneven emergence.  Rangeland and pastures are also suffering, with more than three-quarters rated very poor to poor on October 16 in Nebraska (83%), Oklahoma (78%), and Kansas (76%).

In the South, overnight freezes reached deep into the Gulf Coast States, with low temperatures officially falling to 30°F in Jackson, Mississippi, and 32°F in Alexandria, Louisiana.  This effectively ends the growing season, except in portions of the southern Atlantic coastal plain and from southern Texas to Florida, including the immediate Gulf Coast.  Rain has mostly ended across Florida’s peninsula, although cloudiness lingers.

In the West, farmers are trying to complete fieldwork in advance of an upcoming weather pattern change.  For Northwestern producers, who have seeded roughly 70 to 90 percent of their intended winter wheat acreage, a next-to-last day of warm, dry weather represents an opportunity to finish planting activities.  Wednesday’s high temperatures could top 95°F as far north as California’s Sacramento Valley.