Weather

MINNEAPOLIS (DTN) -- A strong cold front bringing a brief shot of cooler air but limited showers, overall good growing conditions in the Canadian Prairies, and a recent heat wave in western Europe are the weather factors driving the markets Tuesday.

END OF HEAT WAVE FOR MIDWEST BRINGING SCATTERED SHOWERS

A strong cold front is pushing through the Midwest on Tuesday, bringing through much more comfortable air to relieve stresses for plants and livestock. The front produced some showers over Minnesota, Iowa, and Wisconsin on Monday, but was generally limited. The front should bring a significant threat of severe weather to the Ohio Valley this afternoon and evening before clearing the area. A few days of cool air will sit in the region before temperatures rise again this weekend. Another front moving through this weekend or early next week could bring through another round of milder air along with some showers. Overall though, many areas are going to stay dry or see limited precipitation, unfavorable for pollinating corn and pod-setting soybeans.

FRONT STALLING IN CENTRAL PLAINS NEXT FEW DAYS

A cold front is pushing down into the Central and Southern Plains on Tuesday with milder air across the north. The front will stall out today, being a focal point for a couple of periods of showers and thunderstorms on Wednesday through Friday. Some of those may be severe with heavy rain. Southern areas are likely to stay hotter and drier, a poor combination for any dryland crops and stressful for livestock. Temperatures will likely rise across the Central Plains this weekend, causing more stresses. We will be watching to see if a cold front can come down mid-late next week with more showers and some milder air, or if that front will bypass the region.

HEAT WAVE ENDING IN NORTHERN PLAINS, BUT ONLY BRIEFLY

A strong cold front has moved through the Northern Plains, bringing in much more mild temperatures for the Dakotas over the next few days while Montana will heat up. Some showers may move through this week, but most areas will stay dry, unfavorable for developing crops even though the heat has relented. A system moving through Canada this weekend should drag another front through the region that may produce some showers. But overall, below normal rainfall is expected while heat will spread through this weekend into next week despite the front. That is a poor combination for developing to reproductive crops.

WARMER WITH OCCASIONAL SHOWERS IN CANADIAN PRAIRIES

Though temperatures fell with a cold front moving through the Canadian Prairies on Monday, they will rise again from west to east over the next couple of days. Several systems will likely move through the region this weekend and next week, bringing occasional showers to go along with warmer temperatures. This should be a mostly favorable combination after a cool and wet season thus far.

TROPICAL STORM BERTHA PRODUCING LITTLE THREAT OR BENEFIT FOR THE DELTA

Heat will continue to be in the Delta before a front drops south into the region on Wednesday with some limited showers and a relief from the excessive heat. However, with the front stalling in the area, temperatures will still be excessive in the south. Tropical Storm Bertha is forecast to move into Louisiana late Wednesday or early Thursday, but will be weak and is not forecast to bring much precipitation. With conditions getting largely hotter and drier, more stresses for reproductive cotton and soybeans should be developing.

RELIEF FOR EUROPEAN HEAT WAVE, BUT FRANCE STILL STRUGGLING WITH HEAT

A system moved through eastern Europe over the weekend, bringing milder temperatures and scattered showers. However, areas in the west will get hot again this week while showers continue to be very limited. That continues to be poor for reproductive corn in France, which has seen crop conditions plummet over the last several weeks. Occasional showers and milder temperatures are forecast across the east, favorable for developing to reproductive crops there.

SEVERAL IMPULSES MOVING THROUGH THE BLACK SEA REGION THIS WEEK

A system moved into Ukraine with scattered showers over the weekend. That system will be slow to move east this week, but should spread some showers into Russia by Thursday, continuing into the weekend. Conditions are still largely favorable for developing to reproductive corn and winter wheat harvest with some exceptions. A drier and warmer forecast for next week could start to produce more stresses in the region.

GETTING DRIER IN AUSTRALIA

Some showers went through western Australia over the weekend, but most areas of the country stayed dry. Some spotty showers may be possible this week, but drier weather is starting to become more common for the country as El Nino starts to really settle in with a drier forecast for winter crops that are still vegetative. Should this continue, we would see more drought stress developing as wheat and canola get into their reproductive stages in a few weeks.

MORE RAIN FALLING OVER CHINA

Some areas across central China have had some heavy rain recently, but flooding has occurred in areas largely outside of corn and soybean acres. Scattered showers will continue this week, being mostly favorable for both crops.

John Baranick can be reached at john.baranick@dtn.com

(c) Copyright 2026 DTN, LLC. All rights reserved.