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Several winter wheat areas get much-needed rain

An ag meteorologist says some of the bigger hard red winter wheat growing areas are getting some much-needed rain this week.

Drew Lerner with World Weather Incorporated says the most impressive rains over the weekend were in West Texas into southeastern Kansas.

“Rain totals range from 2 to around 5.5 inches, in general. There were local totals that range from 5.5 to more than 7 inches of rain.”

Lerner says there should be a substantial change in the soil moisture profile through Arkansas and in southwest Missouri up into Illinois.

He says two upcoming storm systems will impact hard red winter wheat country, with the first one heading into this weekend.

“It will produce another half to 1.5 inches in hard red winter wheat country and probably some 1 to 2 inch totals in portions of the Western Corn Belt and then, another system will come around next week, the weakest system in the series. And it will likely produce a quarter to three-quarters of an inch of rain.”

Lerner says winter wheat improvements are going to be substantial following the rains and this is an ideal situation for the crop ahead of winter.