USDA’s Joint Ag Weather Facility says in the Corn Belt, significant rain is occurring across the upper Midwest. “By April 16, corn planting had not yet begun in just five major production states: Michigan, Ohio, Wisconsin, and the Dakotas,” according to USDA. Elsewhere, Midwestern corn planting was slightly behind schedule, with progress ranging from 1% complete in Minnesota to 17% in Missouri, it continues.
In the West, USDA reports cool, showery weather persists across the northwestern half of the region, including northern and central California. “On April 16, planting progress remained significantly behind schedule for a variety of crops, including spring wheat in Washington (20% planted vs. the 5-year average of 57%) and cotton in California (26% planted vs. 41% on average),” USDA elaborates.
On the Plains, USDA reports rain is ending across the Dakotas and eastern Nebraska. “Chilly conditions linger across the northern tier of the region, but warm weather on the central and southern Plains is promoting fieldwork and crop development,” it details. By April 16, winter wheat was heading at least 15 percentage points ahead of the five-year average pace in Texas (51 % headed) and Oklahoma (40%), according to USDA.
In the South, USDA says showers and thunderstorms in the vicinity of a cold front stretch from the southern Appalachians to the western Gulf Coast. Some of the rain along the Texas coast is causing local flooding, it adds. “In contrast, warm, unfavorably dry conditions persist across the lower Southeast, including Florida’s drought-affected peninsula,” USDA reports.
In its five-day outlook, USDA says a steady parade of eastbound storms will maintain a showery weather pattern across the continental U.S. “Five-day rainfall totals could reach 2 to 5 inches across the mid-South and interior Southeast, with the bulk of the precipitation occurring late in the week,” USDA explains. Many other areas of the country could experience 1- to 2-inch totals, except for little or no rain in Florida and the Southwest, it continues. By Thursday, USDA says fairly widespread, late-season snow could occur in the upper Great Lakes region and the northern Intermountain West. “Concurrently, cool air will make a southward push, with weekend freezes possible as far south as the central High Plains,” USDA explains.
