Eastern Cornbelt:
Cool, windy, and wet conditions were reported across much of the Eastern Cornbelt during the week. Forecasts warned of a wintry mix of rain and snow in northern Illinois by the weekend, with temperatures topping out in the upper-30s and mid-40s.
Similar conditions were reported in Indiana, with much of the state enduring rain and 50-degree highs during the first half of the week. Cooler weather was on tap late in the week, with highs topping out in the 40s in northern Indiana and the low-50s in southern Indiana.
Central and northern Ohio also experienced light to moderate rains at midweek, along with gusty winds. Late in the week, however, highs in the mid-40s were expected, with lake-effect snow bands taking shape over the weekend. For some parts of northern Ohio, weekend highs were not expected to climb above the low-30s.
Western Cornbelt:
Widespread rain was reported across Iowa as the week progressed, including spotty snow showers on March 24 in some areas. A wind advisory was issued for much of Iowa on March 25, with 40-50 mph gusts expected across central and northern Iowa, and highs only expected to reach the mid- to upper-40s by the weekend.
Damp and dreary weather was also reported across central and northern Missouri during the week. Strong winds battered much of Nebraska, with temperatures reaching the 70s in western Nebraska as the week progressed. Eastern areas of Nebraska struggled to break out of the high-40s to mid-50s during the week, however.
California:
After a wet weekend with highs topping out in the 60s, much of Northern California saw temperatures soar well into the 70s during the first days of spring, with some locations notching highs in the mid-80s.
The heat wave also blanketed Southern California, with a number of daily record highs posted on March 22-24. In San Diego County, Ramona posted a high of 83 degrees on March 22, some 15-20 degrees above average.
Drought conditions continued to expand across California. As of mid-March, the entire state was experiencing mostly severe drought, with broad areas of extreme drought covering Central and Northern California, along with a narrow slice of the inland southern region.
Spring application was “starting to take off” in the state, according to one source, but early volumes were down for some areas.
“With a portion of our area’s almonds frosted, and weak tree nut pricing overall, we aren’t surprised to experience a year-to-date drop of +-10 percent in our tons sold,” commented one contact. “In normal years, this open weather would mean a solid uptick. That is not the case this year.”
Pacific Northwest:
Although parts of coastal Oregon experienced cool, wet weather earlier in the week, temperatures climbed to the upper-60s and low-70s across western Oregon at midweek, with parts of southwestern Oregon notching highs near the 80-degree mark on March 22.
Similar weather conditions were reported in southern Idaho, with highs expected to reach the mid-70s late in the week. Cooler temperatures and light rains were reported in northern Idaho at midweek.
Parts of western Montana collected several inches of wet, heavy snow as the work week started, but much warmer temperatures followed, with highs climbing to the 50s and low-60s by midweek.
Much of Montana, southern Idaho, and Oregon remained in some form of drought in late March, with a wide swath of extreme-to-exceptional drought covering central and western Oregon. A huge expanse of extreme drought was also reported across central Montana.
Spring application was ramping up quickly in the region. “It’s been held up with cool, wet weather, but that should be behind us after today,” said one Washington contact at midweek. “It looks like a warm, typical spring going forward. Our truck activity ramped up starting Friday last week, but will be full tilt tomorrow.”
Western Canada:
The week began with reports of heavy snow and strong winds across Alberta on March 20-21, followed by much warmer weather at midweek. Temperatures climbed to the upper teens in southern Alberta on March 23, with unseasonably warm weather also reported as far north as Fort McMurray.
Double-digit heat was reported in central and southern Saskatchewan as well, but a wintry mix of freezing rain and snow was in the March 24-25 forecast for the region, along with potentially strong winds.
Rain and snow were also reported in southern Manitoba on March 21-22, with reports of 15-25 mm of precipitation in the Red River Valley and up to 20 cm of snow in the Thunder Bay region. Winnipeg reportedly collected 5-10 mm of rain and 10-15 cm of snow as the system worked through the province.
Sources reported some floating application happening in southern Alberta in late March, but most of Western Canada was still a good three weeks from spring fertilizer activity. “People will really be getting antsy unless we get some snow here, or it starts raining,” said one contact. “We’re hoping for one those things to happen, as we need to get some moisture built up here.”