The US Plains wheat belt was warm and dry the past day with little to no rain expected the next week, adding more stress to a crop that is struggling from a lack of moisture, a forecaster said Wednesday. The biggest US wheat crop, hard red winter, has been suffering from drought since autumn. USDA this week rated 32 percent of the winter wheat crop poor to very poor, a lot worse than 6 percent a year ago.
Crop watchers were most concerned about the wheat in Texas, Oklahoma and southern Kansas. In Oklahoma, 53 percent of the wheat was rated poor to very poor, down from 46 percent the week before but still high. The southern Plains will be mostly dry during the next seven days, with a light shower possible on Thursday and over the weekend.
Temperatures were warming up to normal to above. Highs will be in the 70s to mid 80s degrees Fahrenheit, and in some places 90s through the weekend. There was also an indication of strong winds of 35 to 45 miles per hour on Saturday. He added that both the US and European weather models forecast rains for next Wednesday or Thursday, favoring the eastern areas.
The six- to 10-day outlook for the Plains, Monday to Friday, called for normal to above-normal temperatures early in the period then cooling to normal to below later. Precipitation was forecast normal to below. For the Midwest Corn Belt, conditions were improving for fieldwork and early planting in the western half of the belt due to warmer temperatures and spotty rains, Palmerino said.
The west should continue to see above to much-above-normal temperatures the next seven days with limited rainfall. East of the Mississippi River will be cooler and a little wetter through the weekend. The Midwest six to 10-day outlook called for near to above-normal temperatures, cooling to near to below. Precipitation will be near to below in the north-west and near to above in the south and east.
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