Weather

Much colder northwest; mild weather across the rest of the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, mild, dry weather favors final corn and soybean harvest efforts, especially in areas where snow cover had previously limited fieldwork.  A little more than a week ago, on November 20, nearly one-quarter (23%) of Wisconsin’s corn remained in the field, on par with the 5-year average.

On the Plains, cold weather—accompanied by a few snow showers—is confined to the region’s northern tier.  In parts of Montana, Monday’s high temperatures will remain below 20°F.  Meanwhile, winter grains in parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and eastern Kansas are benefiting from recent topsoil moisture improvements.  Currently, mild, dry weather covers the central and southern Plains.

In the South, dry weather follows recent rainfall.  Lingering warmth and showers are confined to southern Florida, where Monday’s high temperatures could reach 85°F or higher.  Elsewhere, many producers are winding down autumn fieldwork operations, although some summer crop acreage remains to be harvested and some winter wheat has not been planted.

In the West, widely scattered rain and snow showers dot the Pacific Northwest.  Meanwhile, late-autumn fieldwork continues in California and the Desert Southwest.  On November 20, the cotton harvest was 90% complete in California and 59% complete in Arizona.  On the same date, Western winter wheat emergence ranged from 45% in California to 95% in Idaho and Washington.