Ag Weather Forum

Brief Drier Pattern for Midwest

Bryce Anderson
By  Bryce Anderson , Ag Meteorologist Emeritus
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Wet fields and rain-related crops stress are most notable in the Midwest south of Interstate 70. (Midwest Climate Center Graphic by Nick Scalise)

For the first time in four weeks, the Midwest has a dry weekend weather pattern developing. Along with that drier trend, temperatures have above to much-above normal ranges forecast.

"Warmer, drier weather over the Midwest will improve conditions for planting during the next few days," DTN Senior Ag Meteorologist Joel Burgio noted Friday.

That improvement is much needed, especially for areas south of Interstate 70. Precipitation logged by the Midwest Regional Climate Center in Urbana, Illinois, has 30-day totals from seven to more than ten inches in the southern Midwest.

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DTN Senior Ag Meteorologist Mike Palmerino concurs that this upcoming five-day stretch is likely beneficial for the Midwest. "Mostly favorable weather for planting (is likely) in the western Midwest through the weekend and in the eastern Midwest through early next week," Palmerino said.

Following this drier trend, however, the upper-atmosphere pattern has a change developing.

"The southern branch of the jet will feature a trough in the western Gulf of Alaska, a U.S. west coast ridge, and another trough over the Rockies and Plains, then a ridge over the eastern U.S. during next week," Palmerino said. "This will be an active rainfall pattern for much of the Plains and Midwest with the trough to the west and the ridge to the east allowing for a significant flow of Gulf of Mexico moisture northward into the central U.S."

For some of the need-dry-weather-the-most locales of the southern Midwest, DTN has these total rain forecasts in the period through Friday May 25: St. Louis, MO 1.83 inches; Cape Girardeau, MO 1.15 inches; Indianapolis, IN 1.47 inches; Evansville, IN 1.50 inches; Cairo, IL 1.21 inches.

Bryce Anderson can be reached at bryce.anderson@dtn.com

Follow him on Twitter @BAndersonDTN

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