Eastern Cornbelt:
A winter weather advisory was posted for central Illinois on Nov. 15, with reports of 1-3 inches of snow accumulation across the region. Scattered flurries returned to central Illinois on Nov. 17-18, along with cold temperatures. Highs struggled to reach the upper-30s as the week ended, and wind chills dropped to the single digits and teens in many areas.
Similar conditions were reported in Indiana, with up to three inches of snow blanketing the Indianapolis area and temperatures ranging from the low-20s to mid-30s. In northern Ohio, lake effect snow showers were expected to deposit 6-9 inches across a wide area by late in the week, with a foot or more possible in some locations.
Growers were putting the finishing touches on the fall harvest in mid-November. The corn harvest as of Nov. 13 was 94% complete in Illinois, 91% in Indiana, and 87% in Ohio, while the soybean harvest had progressed to 96-98% complete in the region. Progress was ahead of the five-year average for both crops in all three states. Winter wheat planting was reported at 95-99% complete in the region by Nov. 13.
Western Cornbelt:
Winter weather conditions moved into much of the Western Cornbelt during the week. Central Iowa was hit with 1-3 inches of snow as the week began, with higher amounts reported in some northern areas of the state. Temperatures in Iowa were expected to top out in the 20s by the weekend.
Snow flurries also worked their way through Nebraska during the week, with highs reaching the 30s through Nov. 17. Temperatures on Nov. 18 struggled to make it out of the 20s, however, with wind chills falling to the single digits in central and eastern areas of the state, and dropping to subzero lows in western Nebraska.
Northern and central Missouri were also blanketed with several inches of snow on Nov. 15, with up to four inches reported at Kirksville and Moberly.
The corn harvest as of Nov. 13 was 94-95% complete in the Western Cornbelt, with the soybean harvest reported at 92-100% complete. Missouri’s cotton crop was 93% harvested by that date, along with 93% of Nebraska’s sorghum crop. Harvest progress continued to track ahead of the average pace for all crops in all three states.
Northern Plains:
Minnesota experienced light but persistent snowfall throughout the week, with a blast of arctic air moving into the region on Nov. 17. Temperatures across the state were expected to fall to the low single digits over the coming weekend, with subzero wind chills in many areas.
A powerful winter storm in mid-November blanketed much of North Dakota in 15-24 inches of snow, putting a rapid halt to fall ammonia movement in the state. A winter weather advisory was posted for parts of South Dakota on Nov. 17 warning of snow flurries and single digit temperatures across the state.
“It’s cold and nasty here,” commented one North Dakota source at midweek. “We are in full winter mode.” Added another source: “We are buried under about 24 inches of snow in most of the state and are about 10 degrees, so fall has slammed shut as of last Thursday.”
Fortunately the region’s fall harvest was virtual complete by mid-November. Fully 96% of the corn and 100% of the soybeans were already in the bin by Nov. 13, along with 100% of the sugar beets and 96% of South Dakota’s sorghum crop. The sunflower harvest in the Dakotas was 91-93% complete by that date. Harvest progress on all crops was ahead of the average pace.
Northeast:
Highs in the mid-40s were reported across New England, with rain along coastal areas and some northern areas picking up a dusting of snow at midweek.
Western New York was bracing for 2-3 feet of snow over the coming weekend, with Buffalo expecting three feet of fresh accumulation. Snow flurries at midweek left an inch or two of snow in northeastern and central Pennsylvania, while warmer weather was reported in Maryland, with highs reaching the upper-40s and low-50s during the week.
Wet weather continued to slow the fall harvest in the region. Pennsylvania’s corn harvest was just 65% complete by Nov. 13, trailing the 73% five-year average.
Eastern Canada:
Snow flurries and windy weather were reported across Ontario as the week progressed, while much of southern Quebec experienced whiteout conditions at midweek and up to 20 cm of snow accumulation in some areas.
A mix of snow, ice, and rain hit the Maritimes on Nov. 16-17. While parts of northern New Brunswick picked up 15-30 cm of snow, Prince Edward Island collected only 2-5 cm. Nova Scotia was hit with mostly rain, although some snow was reported in the Cape Breton Highlands.
Most of the fall harvest was complete in Eastern Canada, and sources reported a “pretty good run” underway on fall fertilizer movement. “We’re having a bit of a slowdown now,” commented one Ontario source. “We got our first big snowfall last night and we are below freezing, so the snow might stay around.”