Weather

Very favorable weather for early-season fieldwork covers much of the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, warm, dry weather favors spring planting preparations, except in far upper Midwestern areas where snow is just starting to melt, and in wetter eastern areas.  On April 9, topsoil moisture was 45% surplus in Michigan.  On the same date, oat planting had not yet begun in Minnesota or North Dakota—but was 20% complete in Nebraska.

On the Plains, drought-affected winter wheat continues to deteriorate amid warm, dry conditions.  On April 9, Kansas led the U.S. with 61% of its winter wheat rated in very poor to poor condition, followed by Texas at 47% and Oklahoma at 46%.  Meanwhile, the snow-melt season is accelerating across the northern Plains, where Wednesday’s high temperatures will range from 50 to 60°F in the Red River Valley of the North—but should reach 80°F or higher as far north as southeastern Montana and western North Dakota.

In the South, showers are lurking near the Gulf Coast and across southern Florida.  Across the remainder of the South, warm, dry weather favors fieldwork and crop development.  Nationally, rice planting was 22% complete by April 9, slightly ahead of the 5-year average of 20%.

In the West, rain and snow showers are spreading inland from the Pacific Northwest to the northern Rockies.  Warm, dry weather covers the remainder of the West, with Wednesday’s high temperatures expected to approach 100°F in lower elevations of the Desert Southwest.  The warmth is melting high-elevation snowpack, leading to fast-flowing creeks and streams.  Fieldwork is off to a slow start in California, with no cotton planted by April 9, versus 31% the same time a year ago.