A massive ridge of high pressure has meandered into the Midwest driving temperatures well above normal, ending a cooler trend that resulted in near to above normal rainfall for many farm fields this spring.
Across the central and eastern United States through the High Plains into the Pacific Northwest, rainfall has been generous, enough to curtail concerns about drought, but it’s also delayed spring and early summer fieldwork.
In fact, some winter wheat harvest and field activity has been severely delayed across the plain’s compliments of excessive rainfall. That’s also been the case across the Red River Valley where some farmers are still struggling to plant sugar beets, spring wheat, corn, and soybeans.
Conditions across much of northern and western Minnesota along with the eastern Dakotas is still atypically wet. Growing degree days are also trending between -100 and -500 degrees below normal.
Our recent warm up will trigger a drying trend that should be welcome relief for farmers battling above average soil moisture and help fields dry up enough to resume fieldwork.
Across the globe folks in Europe have seen showers in northern and eastern Europe contrast with dry and warm conditions in southwestern growing areas.
In western Russia, hot, dry weather in the southwestern region gave way to widespread rain across western and north areas. Rain in the east has eased dry concerns across spring grain locations and boosted irrigation reserves in the watersheds of the cotton belt.
Across the Middle East, it’s been mostly dry weather promoting wheat and barley development in Turkey and winter grain harvest activity elsewhere.
In South Asia, the southwest monsoon got off to an early start, which has recently receded curtailing rainfall in most areas, except for southern India where precipitation has been light.
Eastern Asia has benefitted from widespread rain enhancing summer crop development across northeastern and southern China, while hot, dry weather aided winter crop maturation and harvesting in mid-eastern portions of the region.
Southeast Asia has been smacked by a strong start to the wet season in northern portions of the region, which has promoted rice sowing.
Early-season winter crop prospects look good in Australia, and Argentina has experienced promising early season fieldwork.
Rain intensified across Brazil adding immature corn and emerging wheat, while Hurricane Agatha generated flooding conditions across southern Mexico. It’s been cool and wet across the Canadian Prairies but getting warmer with more sun across southern Canada where winter wheat, forage, and emerging summer crops are responding well.
The extended outlook through late June into early July is suggesting a warmer than normal period with below normal rainfall across the Dakotas, Minnesota, Wisconsin into the southern and eastern part of the country.
