Weather

Temps remain sub-average across the Corn Belt; beneficial rains central, especially southern Plains

Across the Corn Belt, cool, dry weather prevails.  Freeze Warnings were in effect early Wednesday from eastern Iowa into the lower Great Lakes region, including southern Michigan, where some fruit crops may be vulnerable to the cold weather.  Later Wednesday, high temperatures should range from 50°F in the vicinity of the Great Lakes to near 70°F in parts of the southern and western Corn Belt.  Despite the cool weather, some producers have resumed (or started) planting corn and soybeans. 

On the Plains, a significant rainfall event is unfolding across eastern Colorado, western Kansas, northern Texas, and much of Oklahoma.  The rain is greatly benefiting immature winter grains and may encourage planting of summer crops, although drought-ravaged rangeland and pastures will need considerable time (and additional precipitation) to exhibit any recovery.  On April 23, rangeland and pastures were rated 61% very poor to poor in Oklahoma, along with 56% in Texas. 

In the South, warmth has returned along and near the Gulf Coast, favoring winter wheat maturation and summer crop development.  Meanwhile, scattered showers and thunderstorms stretch from the mid-South to the southern Appalachians.  Wednesday’s high temperatures will remain mostly below 70°F in rain-affected areas. 

In the West, dry weather accompanies a warming trend.  Wednesday’s high temperatures will approach 90°F in California’s Central Valley, which will translate into accelerated melting of high-elevation snowpack in the adjacent Sierra Nevada.  The increase in snow-melt runoff could lead to strategic dam releases to limit flood concerns.  Meanwhile, warm weather in the Northwest favors small grain planting and emergence.