Weather

MINNEAPOLIS (DTN) -- More areas of rain this week, including for some significant drought areas, and isolated showers in central Brazil are the weather factors driving the markets Wednesday.

DISTURBANCES BRINGING NEAR-DAILY SHOWERS FOR MIDWEST

A system will move through the Midwest on Wednesday into Thursday and stall a front where showers may continue into the weekend. The front lifts north this weekend with showers following it and bringing in a burst of warmer air. A system will then bring more scattered showers early next week, providing plenty of opportunity to have good soil moisture for spring planting. However, some areas may receive too much and ponding may be a concern for planting as well. Though temperatures are rising, the 50-degree soil temperature mark is only creeping into southern areas and frequent changes in air temperature will mean a slow progress northward for the rest of the month.

AREAS OF RAIN FALLING IN CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN PLAINS INTO NEXT WEEK

Areas in the southwestern Plains have seen much less precipitation out of the more active weather pattern from last week and drought is increasing in some areas again. The pattern does seem to be a bit more favorable for a front to stall out in the region on Thursday and bring chances for showers to many of these western areas through at least early next week. The showers do look like batches of thunderstorms, which will mean some areas will see heavy rain while others are likely to be drier. Mixed improvement should be expected, but not widespread improvement for winter wheat or significant increases in soil moisture for corn and soybean planting. Drought remains a problem despite the active pattern.

COLDER, PERIODS OF SHOWERS FOR NORTHERN PLAINS

A system continues to move through the Northern Plains on Wednesday with scattered showers, and a few more will follow behind it on Thursday. Another system will move through this weekend with more scattered showers into Monday. The frequent rounds of precipitation will improve soil moisture, but colder temperatures are creating more snow and slower rises in soil temperature. Unless the pattern changes, it could be a shorter window for planting this spring.

DELTA DRIER THIS WEEK

Though some areas of heavy rain fell across the Delta over the past weekend, drought is still heavily entrenched in the region. There may be some isolated showers at various times this week, but drier conditions this week should not be favorable for soil moisture. That will make planting and early growth more difficult. Some showers are likely to move through next week, but consistent, heavy rains are not in the forecast.

ISOLATED SHOWERS FOR CENTRAL BRAZIL

A front brought some heavy rain to southern Brazil on Tuesday and will provide a brief burst of moderate rain across the central for Wednesday and Thursday. But precipitation will become isolated again after it passes. A similar situation may repeat itself this weekend into early next week. Overall, this is unfavorable for developing safrinha corn as the end of the wet season rainfall is rather disappointing for many areas.

SOME SHOWERS FOR ARGENTINA

A slow-moving front brought widespread precipitation to Argentina last week, but that is only favorable for the shrinking portion of the corn and soybean crops that were planted late. Early-planted corn and soybeans continue to go through harvest. Another system will move across the north this weekend with more rainfall.

A COUPLE OF SMALLER SYSTEMS FOR EUROPE THIS WEEK

A couple of smaller systems will move through Europe this week with more focused areas of precipitation, currently across Spain and then for Germany on Thursday. Despite the somewhat drier look this week, most areas of the continent have good soil moisture for winter wheat and early corn planting outside of the northeast, which is drier. Showers may be more widespread this weekend into next week as a system slowly passes through the continent.

SCATTERED SHOWERS CONTINUE IN THE BLACK SEA REGION

A stalled system will continue to produce rounds of showers across the Black Sea region into the weekend. Soil moisture has slowly been improving since the winter, though it is not ideal in too many areas. The region would like to keep these scattered showers going or see more widespread heavy rains for the second half of April. No concerns are noted though at the moment.

AUSTRALIA COULD USE SOME MORE RAIN

A few showers are going through southern Australia on Wednesday and Thursday, but many areas will stay dry. That is favorable for the remaining cotton and sorghum harvest, but the country would like to see more widespread heavy precipitation for winter wheat and canola planting. Drier conditions are forecast next week as well, discouraging wheat and canola planting.

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

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