Happening right now, towns along the gulf coast are keeping their eye on Hurricane Sally, which could reach land in the next 24 hours.
The Soy Transportation Coalition says that Sally will have a far greater impact on agriculture than Laura because heavy flooding will be the major issue. The system is moving so slowly it could dump up to two feet of rain in some areas.
The southern Mississippi River is closed to river traffic, affecting crops trying to make it to the port.
While the storm’s path is constantly changing, USDA meteorologist Brady Rippey says that it should pass between two major crop regions.
“On the present, expected track it should spare most crops in the Delta, that would include cotton, which bulbs are opening and highly vulnerable to wind and rain, and also rice, which is generally ready to be harvested now across the Delta and could be impacted by high winds and heavy rain,” he said.
Sally is one of five current systems. Paulette is now a hurricane; Rene, Teddy, and the most recently named Vicky are all tropical storms out over the Atlantic.
“We are running three weeks ahead of the record setting pace of 2005,” Rippey said. “We still have almost half of the 2020 tropical storm season ahead of us.”