Eastern Cornbelt:

Dry, windy conditions in Illinois caused a massive dust storm on May 1, triggering a fiery 72-vehicle pileup on Interstate 55 south of Springfield, Ill., that killed seven people and injured more than 30 others. I-55 was closed for nearly 20 hours as a result.

Warm, sunny weather pushed temperatures into the 70s across Indiana during the week. Although parts of the state were expecting scattered rain on May 5, highs near 80 were in the weekend forecast.

The week got off to a cold start in Ohio, with reports of a rain/snow mix across much of the state and temperatures staying in the 30s and 40s. Warmer weather was on tap as the week progressed, however, with highs reaching the 60s and 70s late in the week.

Planting progress continued to track ahead of the five-year average for all crops, thanks to favorable weather and field conditions in late April. Corn planting as of April 30 was 40% complete in Illinois, 20% in Indiana, and 10% in Ohio, with soybean planting estimated at 39% complete in Illinois, 18% in Indiana, and 16% in Ohio. Ohio growers also had 71% of the oats crop planted by that date.

Western Cornbelt:

Highs in the 70s and 80s were common across Iowa and Nebraska as the week progressed, creating favorable conditions for planting and spring fertilizer application. Thunderstorms and spotty showers were likely in both states by the weekend, along with potentially strong winds.

Widespread rain showers and thunderstorms were reported in the Kansas City, Mo., area on May 4, with areas south of Interstate 70 and into the Ozarks expecting the greatest rainfall totals. Temperatures were expected to rise from the 70s at midweek to near 90 by the coming weekend.

Corn planting as of April 30 had progressed to 29% complete in Iowa, 30% in Nebraska, and 80% in Missouri, with Missouri tracking well ahead of its 41% five-year average. Soybean planting was also ahead of schedule at 34% complete in Missouri and 16% in Nebraska and Iowa, while Missouri’s rice and cotton planting had progressed to 73% and 5%, respectively.

California:

After near record-setting heat in the upper-80s and 90s in late April, California was bracing for another round of cool, wet weather in early May, including warnings of heavy rain in the valleys and more than a foot of snow in the mountains.

Highs in Redding topped out in the 60s at midweek, while parts of Southern California were expecting up to an inch of rain by May 4. Winter weather advisories were in effect for the San Bernardino County and San Gabriel mountains, where forecasts warned of up to 14 inches of snow by the end of the week.

California growers had 85% of the cotton crop planted by April 30, along with just 5% of the rice crop. While cotton planting was tracking well ahead of the average pace, rice planting lagged slightly in the state.

Pacific Northwest:

Unseasonably warm temperatures prompted flood warnings from snowmelt in parts of Idaho and Montana during the week, with highs reaching the 80s in both states. Cooler weather was on tap for the weekend, however, along with scattered showers.

Cool, wet weather also moved into parts of Oregon and western Washington during the week, particularly in the Cascades and the eastern Willamette Valley. Eastern Washington, by contrast, experienced hot, dry weather during the week, with Spokane notching a record high of 82 degrees on April 30.

The warmer weather finally allowed growers to get in the field in late April. The planting of spring wheat and barley had progressed to 55-74% complete in Washington by April 30, compared with 45-47% in Idaho and just 12-14% in Montana. All three states were trailing their average progress by that date. Idaho growers also had 71% of the sugar beets planted by April 30.

Western Canada:

After a colder-than-normal March and April across the Prairies, May got off to a summery start with multiple heat records posted across the region.

Manitoba posted highs in the mid- to upper-teens C during the week, with 20 C highs expected by the coming weekend. Regina, Sask., reached 24 C on May 2 and 28 C on May 3, while at least 10 daily record highs were posted across British Columbia at midweek, including 30 C in Osoyoos.

The sudden onset of summer also prompted numerous wildfire warnings and fire bans across Saskatchewan and Alberta during the week, with more than 50 active wildfires burning in Alberta in early May.

Spring fertilizer application was finally moving into high gear across the region, with several sources reporting that progress in their trade areas was a full 10 days behind normal.

“With the big snowstorm that hit southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba, we’re seeing central Saskatchewan and Manitoba starting to seed ahead of the south, which doesn’t happen very often,” said one source. “Fields are still pretty soft down there with all the excess moisture.”