No respite for HRW wheat country

The National Weather Service (NWS) 90-day forecast continues to give elevated odds of above-normal temps across HRW areas of the Southern Plains through May. Below-normal precip also is likely over all but the far eastern HRW areas of the Central and Southern Plains during the period. As a result, drought conditions are expected to persist across all major HRW production areas through the end of May. Without any meaningful weather relief, timing of any spring rainfall will be critical to the development of the HRW crop, much of which is already rated poorly.

Above-normal temps are also expected across the entire eastern half of the country, including much of the western Corn Belt through May. A bubble of above-normal precip is forecast for the eastern Corn Belt, much of Missouri and the Ohio River Basin during the 90-day period. There are “equal chances” for normal, above-normal and below-normal precip across the central and northwestern Corn Belt through May.