Weather
Precipitation develops on the central Heartland
Across the Corn Belt, a few snow showers are occurring downwind of the Great Lakes. Elsewhere in the Midwest, the return of cool, mostly dry weather follows weekend showers. Recent rainfall was heaviest in the southern and eastern Corn Belt, where some producers are awaiting further reductions in the moisture content of corn and soybeans before harvesting.
On the Plains, a developing storm system is producing some light rain early Monday across Kansas and southern Nebraska. Elsewhere, dry weather favors late-autumn fieldwork, including cotton, sorghum, and sunflower harvesting. On November 15, the U.S. sunflower harvest was 88% complete, compared to just 46% on the same date a year ago.
In the South, cool, dry weather prevails in the wake of a cold front’s passage. Fieldwork, including winter wheat planting and cotton, peanut, and soybean harvesting, continues in areas where rain-related delays have occurred. On November 15, winter wheat planting was 82% complete in Arkansas and 66% complete in North Carolina.
In the West, widely scattered rain and snow showers are occurring in several areas, including the central Rockies, northern Great Basin, and Pacific Northwest. In recent days, seasonal precipitation has spread as far south as central California, but has not yet reached southern California, the southern Great Basin, and the Desert Southwest. Record-setting streaks without measurable precipitation have reached 219 days (April 18 – November 22) in Bishop, California, and 217 days (April 21 – November 22) in Las Vegas, Nevada.