A more active pattern getting underway on parts of the Plains; milder across the Corn Belt

Weather

A more active pattern getting underway on parts of the Plains; milder across the Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, lingering chilly weather is limited to eastern areas, including Ohio. Meanwhile, Wednesday’s high temperatures will reach 80°F or higher as far north as Iowa. Dry weather throughout the Midwest is allowing wetter areas to begin drying out. In soggy Michigan, just 1% of the sugar beets had been planted by April 19, versus the 5-year average of 30%.

On the Plains, rain is falling across roughly the eastern-half of Texas and across some northern areas. Elsewhere, warm, dry weather prevails. On April 19, approximately one-half (45 to 55%) of the winter wheat was rated in very poor to poor condition in Nebraska, Colorado, Oklahoma, and Texas. In Kansas, 41% of the winter wheat was rated very poor to poor on that date, up from 24% just 2 weeks earlier. Following last weekend’s cold snap, wheat producers on the central High Plains continue to monitor winter wheat for signs of freeze injury.

In the South, rainfall is limited to eastern Texas and western Louisiana. Much of the Southeast remains extremely dry, with variable impacts on pastures, winter grains, and emerging summer crops. On April 19, statewide topsoil moisture in agricultural regions was rated 97% very short to short in Georgia and South Carolina.

In the West, precipitation associated with an approaching Pacific storm system continues to gradually spread inland across western Oregon and northern and central California. Windy weather is developing in advance of the storm, particularly in the Great Basin and neighboring areas. Above-normal temperatures prevail, except along and near the Pacific Coast.