Weather

Cold weather moderates across the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, cold conditions persist, although dry weather generally favors fieldwork. However, local harvest complications include soggy soils, snow cover, and a high moisture content for crops remaining in the field. On November 10, topsoil moisture was rated 30 to 60% surplus in Michigan, Minnesota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin. At daybreak Friday, snow depths included 3 inches in Rockford, Illinois, and 2 inches in Muskegon, Michigan.

On the Plains, temperatures have largely rebounded to near- or above-normal levels. Dry weather throughout the region favors fieldwork, including final winter wheat planting efforts and harvest activities for a variety of crops. However, dry conditions are also limiting winter wheat establishment in an area that includes much of western Kansas, southeastern Colorado, and the panhandle of Oklahoma.

In the South, rainy, breezy weather is occurring in the southern Atlantic States. In other areas, including the Mississippi Delta, cool, dry weather favors fieldwork, including cotton and soybean harvesting.

In the West, showers are spreading inland across the Pacific Northwest. Elsewhere, mild, dry weather is promoting autumn fieldwork, including cotton harvesting in Arizona and California. However, winter wheat planting is behind schedule in California (40% planted on November 10, versus the 5-year average of 51%) due to dry conditions.