Ag Weather Forum

Variable Rainfall Across Midwest In Week Ahead

Bryce Anderson
By  Bryce Anderson , Ag Meteorologist Emeritus
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Seven-day forecast precipitation is heavy east and south, but lighter north and west. (NOAA graphic by Nick Scalise)

Usually, crop weather forecast discussions use the descriptors "have" and "have not" related to rainfall. After all, most of the time rain is looked upon as the defining feature for crop conditions. Right now, however, that is not the case. May has been such a wet month that the terms "have" and "have not" are about where a DRIER pattern will be in effect over the next week.

And, in that respect, the western Midwest and the majority of the Great Plains are the regions with "have" as the identifier. The forecast is not completely dry for crop areas west of the Mississippi River, but projected rainfall is less by a fairly wide margin compared to the eastern Midwest, along with the Delta and the southeastern U.S. This less-heavy rainfall offers crops in the ground a better chance for growth and development, along with giving producers a reasonable chance to make better planting progress versus areas east of the Mississippi. There continue to be many questions about how eastern Midwest crops will fare given the heavy rain during the past 30 days.

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Here are a few examples of seven-day rainfall totals through Memorial Day, Monday May 29, from DTN's forecast precipitation model (including estimates for Monday May 22).

Fargo, North Dakota .13 inches; Sioux Falls, South Dakota .37 inches; Omaha, Nebraska .63 inches; Topeka, Kansas 1.10 inches; Columbia, Missouri 1.72 inches; Des Moines, Iowa .47 inches; Mankato, Minnesota .42 inches; Eau Claire, Wisconsin .70 inches; Bloomington, Illinois 2.22 inches; Indianapolis, Indiana 1.37 inches; Lansing, Michigan 1.31 inches; Findlay, Ohio 1.60 inches; Louisville, Kentucky 1.45 inches; Memphis, Tennessee 1.29; Blytheville, Arkansas 1.27 inches; Greenville, Mississippi 1.65 inches; Baton Rouge, Louisiana 1.80 inches; College Station, Texas 1.08 inches; Tuscaloosa, Alabama 2.28 inches; Atlanta, Georgia 2.70 inches.

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

Follow Bryce on Twitter @BAndersonDTN

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