Eastern Cornbelt:
Unseasonably warm weather settled over much of the Eastern Cornbelt during the week, but a change was on tap for the coming weekend.
Temperatures reached the mid-70s in central and northern Illinois as the week progressed, while highs in the mid- to upper-60s were common across Indiana during the week. On Nov. 11, however, a cold front was expected to push temperatures down to the 30s, with highs on Nov. 12 struggling to reach the upper-30s and low-40s in many locations.
Similar conditions were reported in Ohio during the week, with mild temperatures being replaced by much colder weather and 1-3 inches of rainfall across northern areas of the state on Nov. 11.
The fall harvest continued to progress ahead of the average pace in the Eastern Cornbelt. Illinois growers had 88% of the corn harvested by Nov. 6, compared with 83% in Indiana and 75% in Ohio. The regional soybean harvest was 92-94% complete by that date, and winter wheat planting had progressed to 97% complete in Ohio, 95% in Illinois, and 90% in Indiana.
Sources reported brisk fall fertilizer movement in the region ahead of the weekend weather change. “It’s been a big fall season,” commented one Illinois source. “Both dry and ammonia should be basically done by the end of next week.”
“Applications are in full swing in my area currently, and there’s still a small amount of harvest to finish up yet,” said one Ohio contact. “I don’t really expect fall applications to break any records, even though we have had ideal weather. I truly expect it to be in the average volume range, but I guess we will know when all is said and done.”
Western Cornbelt:
Although temperatures reached the 60s across Iowa and parts of Nebraska on Nov. 9-10, a drastic weather change was in the forecast for Nov. 11-12. Highs were expected to drop to the 20s and 30s in both states, with wind chills in the single digits. Some locations were also expecting strong storms as the weather transitioned.
Northern Missouri also saw temperatures fall from the 70s to the 40s on Nov. 10. The cold front brought strong thunderstorms to several areas as well, along with reports of 60-mph winds.
The corn harvest as of Nov. 6 was 89-90% complete in the Western Cornbelt, with the soybean harvest reported at 86% complete in Missouri, 97% in Iowa, and 100% in Nebraska. Missouri’s cotton crop was 93% harvested by that date, along with 87% of Nebraska’s sorghum harvest. Harvest progress was tracking ahead of the average pace for all crops in all three states.
California:
California’s rainy season got off to a promising start this week after a powerful storm prompted flood watches in parts of Southern California and blanketed the Sierra Nevada with heavy snow.
Rainfall totals for Nov. 6-9 included nearly an inch in Sacramento, an inch-and-a-half in Los Angeles, three inches in Grass Valley, 3.34 inches in Claremont, 4.75 inches in Mt. Baldy, and nearly seven inches in Crystal Lake in the Angeles National Forest. Snowfall totals included two feet in Palisades Tahoe, 2.8 feet in Sierra Snow Lab, and three feet in Bear Valley.
“We are thankfully getting an inch of rain today,” said one California contact at midweek. “We keep watching the forecast and hoping for a long run of nice, slow, soaker storms.”
USDA reported that 70% of California’s cotton was picked by Nov. 6, well ahead of the 56% five-year average. Arizona’s cotton crop was 49% harvested by that date. California growers also had 45% of the winter wheat planted by Nov. 6.
Pacific Northwest:
Much of the Pacific Northwest got an early taste of winter during the week, with 2-8 inches of snow reported across Idaho and Montana, along with single digit temperatures in parts of western Montana. Rain shifted to snow in southern Idaho at midweek, with up to two inches of accumulation expected in some areas.
Cool, wet weather was also reported along coastal areas of Oregon and Washington, with an additional 8-12 inches of snow accumulation in locations above 3,000 feet. I-90 near Snoqualmie Pass in western Washington has seen 34 inches of snow since Oct. 26, an all-time record, according to the Washington State Department of Transportation.
The inclement weather slowed fall fertilizer work, which one source described as brisk on preplant winter wheat ground. “Mother Nature has us stopped, but we’re hoping we still have some fall season to go,” commented one source. “If not, our consumption for this calendar year will be off by about 20%.”
Western Canada:
A powerful weekend storm brought snow, wind, and freezing temperatures to much of Saskatchewan, prompting a travel advisory on Nov. 6. Frigid temperatures moved in after the storm. Temperatures dropped to the negative teens as the week progressed, with lows on Nov. 9 falling to minus 17 C in Saskatoon and minus 13 C in Regina.
Alberta posted 33 daily record lows on Nov. 9, including minus 23.8 C in Calgary, minus 28.8 C in Edmonton and Lethbridge, and minus 29.3 C in Red Deer. Bitterly cold temperatures were also reported in British Columbia, with some southern areas of the province picking up heavy snow during the week.
Another system was expected to bring heavy snowfall and gusty winds to southern Manitoba on Nov. 10, with forecasts warning of 10-25 cm of accumulation in some areas.
Several sources reported a brisk fall application pace for several weeks in late October and early November, particularly for ammonia, but the inclement weather appears to have put an end to the fall season. “It looks like the window is over and winter is setting in,” commented one regional contact. Added another source: “Basically it’s wrapped up already. Alberta has got two feet of snow so far.”