U.S. Gulf/Tampa: Possible new trades in the NOLA barge market were being bantered about last week, but there was no firm word on transactions at press time.
July-November ammonia imports were off 15 percent, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce, to 2.46 million st from the year-ago 2.89 million st.
February NYMEX gas settled Jan. 9 at $4.005/mmBtu, down from Jan. 2’s $4.321/mmBtu. Prices had held firm earlier in the week as cold temperatures gripped the country, but slackened off as the week progressed.
Eastern Cornbelt: The Eastern Cornbelt enjoyed steadily warmer weather as the week advanced, but the “polar vortex” brought record-setting cold to all three states on Jan. 6-7. The massive cold front resulted in record lows at some 50 primary weather observation sites in the country on Jan. 7.
Lows of 16-18 degrees below zero were reported in northern Illinois on Jan. 6, with wind chill readings dropping to minus 40 degrees in some locations. Up to a foot of snow also blanketed much of Illinois, making for a full winter blast in early January.
All but seven counties in Indiana were under winter weather advisories or warnings early in the week due to snowfall and subzero temperatures, with lows of minus 14-15 degrees reported in the state on Jan. 7.
Central and southwestern Ohio also posted the coldest wind chill readings since the early 1990s. One Ohio source reported temperatures of minus 10 degrees with wind at midweek, but “normal temps” were expected by the weekend.
Sources reported minimal changes to the regional ammonia market last week. Anhydrous ammonia was quoted at $520-$530/st FOB in Illinois, depending on location and time of delivery. Sources pegged the Huntington, Ind., ammonia market at $525/st FOB for prompt and up to $550/st FOB for spring prepay.
Western Cornbelt: An arctic chill settled over the Western Cornbelt in early January, dropping wind chill temperatures to well below zero in all three states.
A Missouri contact said temperatures in his area fell to minus 20 degrees on Jan. 5-6, with wind chills dropping to minus 35 degrees. Some areas of the state also collected 3-6 inches of new snow. Nebraska was part of the cold blast as well, with thermometers falling to minus 15-20 degrees and wind chills registering as low as minus 30-40 degrees in the state.
Temperatures in parts of northern Iowa were the coldest in the region, with wind chills falling to minus 51 degrees in some areas. Wind chill warnings remained in effect through Jan. 7, but warmer weather was in store for later in the week, with highs expected to reach the mid 30s in northern Iowa by the coming weekend.
Ammonia pricing was quoted at $490-$520/st FOB regional terminals last week, with the low reported in Iowa and Nebraska. On Jan. 9, CF announced a forward pricing program with ammonia referenced at $520/st FOB Palmyra, Mo., for spring shipments.
Missouri sources quoted delivered ammonia in the $490-$500/st range from southern production points, where the market had reportedly fallen to $410-$420/st FOB after netbacks.
Northern Plains: Bitterly cold weather blanketed the Northern Plains early in the week, with wind chill temperatures falling to minus 30-40 degrees in parts of the Dakotas.
Sub-zero wind chills were also reported throughout Minnesota, prompting authorities to close all schools in the state on Jan. 6. Thermometers in the Twin Cities registered a high of only 5 degrees on Jan. 7, with lows dipping to minus 15. Fortunately warmer weather was in store as the week progressed, with highs in southern Minnesota expected to climb into the 20s by Jan. 9.
Ammonia pricing in the region was down slightly from last report. The anhydrous ammonia market was quoted in a broad