Weather

Growing season ends over parts of Heartland

On the Plains, very warm, dry weather prevails. Monday’s high temperatures will exceed 90° as far north as southern Kansas and southeastern Colorado. Drought remains a major concern with respect to newly planted winter wheat, especially on the northern and central Plains. In addition, Monday’s hot, breezy conditions are increasing the risk of wildfire activity, primarily from northern Texas into southern Kansas.

Across the Corn Belt, cool, mostly dry weather prevails, although temperatures are starting to rebound across the upper Midwest. On Sunday morning, freezes ended the growing season throughout the upper Midwest as far south as Iowa. Monday morning, widespread frost was noted in the Midwest, with pockets of sub-32° readings occurring as far south as eastern Iowa and northern Illinois. Due to the rapid maturation and harvest pace of corn and soybeans, a late-September freeze is not a concern with respect to summer crops.

In the South, temperatures are rebounding to above-normal levels in the western Gulf Coast region, but chilly conditions linger farther east. Dry weather favors fieldwork, including harvesting of a variety of summer crops.

In the West, cloudiness covers the Rockies and the Intermountain region, but rain showers are widely scattered and generally light. Northwestern winter wheat planting continues to advance, although topsoil moisture shortages are an emerging concern in some areas.