USDA says in the Corn Belt, cool conditions linger in the vicinity of the Great Lakes. Elsewhere, warm, dry weather favors corn and soybean planting, except in some of the wettest areas, it continues. “In those wet spots, largely stretching from Missouri to Indiana, producers continue to grapple with issues such as whether or not to replant corn,” USDA details.
In the West, USDA reports cool weather is slowing crop development. “In addition, winds are increasing across the Southwest in conjunction with a developing storm system,” USDA adds.
On the Plains, warm, humid weather prevails in advance of an approaching cold front, USDA says. “However, showers and thunderstorms are developing across the northern Plains — especially the Dakotas — trailed by a push of cooler air into Montana,” according to the department.
In the South, warm, dry weather is ideal for fieldwork and crop development, except in areas — such as southern Georgia and Florida’s peninsula — where drought is boosting irrigation demands or stressing crops and pastures. “In contrast, dry weather in the mid-South is allowing producers to assess the effects of recent flooding,” USDA continues.
In its outlook, USDA says a slow-moving storm system will become better organized over the western U.S. before emerging at midweek across the central Plains. “The low-pressure system will subsequently cross the upper Great Lakes region by late Thursday. Along the storm’s trailing cold front, showers and locally severe thunderstorms will affect portions of the Plains and upper Midwest,” the department explains. Late in the week, a second system in the wake of the initial storm will result in additional rainfall in the nation’s midsection, particularly across the central and southern Plains and the mid-South, USDA reports. “Five-day rainfall totals could reach 1 to 4 inches from the southern Plains into the upper Great Lakes region, while similar amounts can be expected in the Northwest,” USDA elaborates. In contrast, little or no precipitation should fall across the Desert Southwest and the lower Southeast. “Meanwhile, a strong push of cool air will engulf the western and central U.S., while warmth will prevail in the East,” USDA reports.
