USDA’s Joint Ag Weather Facility says in the Corn Belt, widespread lowland flooding continues across Illinois, Missouri, and environs. Record flooding has occurred or is occurring along several rivers in Missouri, including the Gasconade, Meramec, and St. Francis Rivers. “Currently, cool, breezy weather covers the Midwest, with clouds and rain/snow showers persisting in the Great Lakes region,” USDA details. Fieldwork remains on hold in nearly all areas of the Corn Belt, USDA adds.
In the West, USDA reports sudden warmth in California favors an acceleration of fieldwork. “By the end of April, California’s rice planting had not yet begun, compared to the 5-year average of 15%,” USDA explains. Elsewhere, chilly conditions linger across the northern and central Rockies and the Northwest, according to USDA.
On the Plains, USDA says mild weather is returning to Texas, but chilly conditions persist farther north. “Recovery efforts continue in areas hardest hit by the weekend blizzard, which was most severe in western Kansas and environs,” according to USDA. Producers in the blizzard-affected region continue to assess wheat and livestock losses, USDA continues.
In the South, mild, dry weather prevails, except for a few showers across Florida’s peninsula, according to USDA. “Spring planting and other fieldwork is advancing in most areas, although lowland flooding continues in parts of the mid-South, including northeastern Arkansas,” USDA reports.
In its five-day outlook, USDA says the departing storm system currently over the Great Lakes region will continue to weaken and drift northeastward. Meanwhile, a new storm will begin to develop across the south-central U.S. “The new system should cross the mid-South late Wednesday and reach the lower Great Lakes region by Saturday,” USDA continues. Five-day rainfall totals could reach 1 to 3 inches or more across large sections of the South, East, and lower Midwest, USDA continues. “From southern Missouri to Indiana, heavy rain could lead to additional flood concerns and fieldwork delays,” USDA reports. Meanwhile, generally light precipitation will occur across the western half of U.S., as well as the upper Midwest, USDA continues. “Elsewhere, warmth will expand into nation’s mid-section by week’s end, while chilly weather will prevail farther east,” USDA details.
