Weather

Rains breaking-out on the Plains, summer-like warmth continues across the Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, crop maturation and harvest activities are rapidly advancing amid late-season warmth.  October 2 featured daily-record high temperatures in locations such as Sioux Falls, South Dakota (93°F), and South Bend, Indiana (87°F).  Most (82%) of the U.S. corn was fully mature by October 1, while 86% of the soybeans were dropping leaves.  Early Tuesday, showers are just starting to overspread western corn and soybean production areas. 

On the Plains, showers and a few thunderstorms are helping to improve topsoil moisture in areas where producers have been awaiting rain before planting winter wheat.  On October 1, only 27% of the intended winter wheat acreage had been planted in Oklahoma, versus the 5-year average of 38%.  However, the showers are also causing minor fieldwork delays. 

In the South, parts of the lower Mississippi River are teetering near record-low levels, amid warm, dry conditions in much of the drainage basin.  On October 2, the Mississippi River stage in Greenville, Mississippi, fell to 6.00 feet, just 0.7 foot above the record-low level established on October 24, 2022.  However, the warm, dry conditions also favor autumn fieldwork.  By October 1, three-quarters (75%) of the U.S. rice had been harvested, ahead of the 5-year average of 69%.

In the West, chilly conditions linger in the wake of a cold front’s departure.  Rain and snow showers are still occurring in a few areas, mainly across the northern Intermountain West.  Despite cool weather, fieldwork continues in some areas; on October 1, California’s rice harvest was 20% complete, while Arizona’s cotton harvest was 17% complete.