Weather
Rains lead to Midwestern Corn Belt harvest delays
Across the Corn Belt, recent and ongoing rainfall is limiting fieldwork but benefiting recently planted winter grains and cover crops. On October 8, the corn harvest was at least 10 percentage points behind the respective state 5-year averages in all Midwestern States except Michigan and Ohio. Nationally, the corn harvest was just 22% complete, 15 percentage points behind average. Currently, rain is falling in much of the Great Lakes region.
On the Plains, Frost Advisories and Freeze Warnings were in effect early Wednesday from Texas’ northern panhandle to eastern Nebraska. In recent weeks, periods of cool or wet weather have sharply curtailed winter wheat planting and emergence. On October 8, only 15% of the winter wheat had emerged in Oklahoma and Kansas, compared to the 5-year averages of 30 and 29%, respectively.
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n the South, very warm, humid weather prevails in most areas. However, cooler air is overspreading the mid-South. As winter wheat planting advances—currently 18% complete in Arkansas and 9% complete in North Carolina, for example—rain is still needed in parts of the mid-South and the southern Mid-Atlantic region.
In the West, a cold front dropping southward through California is bringing a return of gusty winds to fire-ravaged areas. Winds, along with low humidity levels, could hamper wildfire containment efforts. Meanwhile, very cool air is arriving across the Northwest, accompanied by a few showers.
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