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Midwest producers brace for another round of severe storms

An ag meteorologist says more rounds of severe weather across parts of the Midwest could create additional challenges for producers this week.

Matt Makens says all forms are possible over the next 48 hours. “From a row crop perspective, there’s nothing we can do. We can’t cover anything. From Wichita, Kansas, up to Des Moines and up close to Minneapolis/St. Paul and areas there stretching out to the Illinois state line, that’s going to be a primary zone for hail and wind damage.”

And, he says, “From the livestock side, we’re going to get a lot of ponding of water. With the recent heat,  you probably noticed a higher water intake because of the stagnation of the air and the higher heat indices coming with this activity too.”

Makens tells Brownfield flash flooding is also a concern in some parts. “We have seen an uptick in that soil getting firmer due to the recent warmth over southeastern Iowa, northing Illinois and southern Wisconsin.

He says systems have had  a history of producing 60 mile per hour wind gusts, golf-ball size hail and a few isolated tornadoes.

The National Weather Service has posted severe thunderstorm, tornado and flood watches through several states including Nebraska, Missouri, Iowa, Illinois, Minnesota and Wisconsin.

Matt Makens: