Weather

Favorable weather across the Heartland as November begins

Across the Corn Belt, mild, dry weather favors fieldwork, although some cloudiness lingers early Tuesday in the Ohio Valley and lower Great Lakes region.  Corn and soybean harvests remain significantly ahead of the normal pace for this time of year.  By October 30, more than three-quarters (76%) of the U.S. corn and 88% of the soybeans had been harvested, well ahead of the respective 5-year averages of 64 and 78%.

On the Plains, despite recent topsoil moisture improvements in some areas, widespread dryness persists.  On October 30, topsoil moisture was rated more than 70% very short to short in each of the region’s states, led by Oklahoma (91%) and Kansas (89%).  Due to drought and October cold spells, 35% of the U.S. winter wheat crop was rated in very poor to poor condition on the 30th, led by Texas (65%), Kansas (42%), Nebraska (38%), Oklahoma (36%), and South Dakota (34%).

In the South, rain is limited to the western Gulf Coast region and a few locations along the middle Atlantic Coast.  Winter grains and cover crops in parts of the lower Mississippi Valley are benefiting from last week’s rainfall; topsoil moisture in Mississippi was rated 46% very short to short on October 30, an improvement from last week’s 86%. A similar week-over-week improvement, from 86 to 54% very short to short, was noted in Arkansas.

In the West, a storm system traversing the Northwest is producing widespread precipitation as far south as northern California.  The Northwestern precipitation is aiding recently planted winter grains and helping to establish high-elevation snowpack.  Meanwhile, fieldwork continues in central and southern California, where the rice harvest was 90% complete by October 30 and the cotton harvest was 60% complete.