NASHVILLE, TENN. (RFD-TV) — Rain brought meaningful moisture relief to parts of the central and southern Plains during the past week, while drought continued to deepen across the lower Mississippi Valley.
Producers are also dealing with unusually high diesel costs as grain, livestock, and input transportation remain expensive heading into November.
Great Plains
- Texas: Heavy rain improved conditions across western and northern Texas, including the Panhandle and northern Rolling Plains. Parts of the southeastern Panhandle received 3 to 5 inches, while Lubbock recorded just over 2 inches during the mid-October storm. Additional rain is possible across western Texas this week, providing another opportunity to rebuild soil moisture and improve wheat and grazing conditions.
- Oklahoma: Much of Oklahoma received significant drought relief after western and central areas recorded several inches of rain. Areas west of Oklahoma City received 6 to 8 inches locally, while Oklahoma City recorded nearly 5 inches. Longer-term moisture deficits remain, but the rainfall improved soil moisture, streams and stock-water conditions across much of the state.
- Kansas: Rainfall improved moisture conditions across portions of Kansas, especially southern areas. Some locations received more than twice their normal precipitation for the period. Additional moisture would help winter wheat establishment and pasture recovery before colder weather arrives.
- Nebraska: Central, south-central, and northeastern Nebraska saw drought improvement after receiving roughly 1 to 2 inches of rain in some areas. Western Nebraska continues to carry longer-term moisture deficits. Grain movement remains active as large fall supplies move into elevators and transportation channels.
- North Dakota and South Dakota: The northern Plains remained comparatively dry, with much of North Dakota and northern South Dakota receiving less than one-quarter of normal precipitation. Temperatures were also above normal. Moisture received earlier this fall has prevented broader deterioration, but western South Dakota still faces longer-term drought concerns.
Midwest
- Iowa: Recent rainfall stabilized moisture conditions, although longer-term deficits remain in parts of the region. Iowa enters the late fall period with unusually large grain supplies, increasing pressure on storage and transportation capacity.
- Missouri: Conditions varied sharply across the state. Rain provided some short-term improvement, but extreme drought expanded across southern Missouri near the Arkansas border. Pasture, livestock water, and fall forage concerns remain greatest in the south.
- Illinois and Indiana: Scattered rain brought localized improvement, but areas that missed the heavier totals continued to dry. Illinois also enters the transportation season with fall grain supplies above historical averages, increasing demand for rail, barge and commercial storage capacity.
- Ohio: Moisture conditions remain mixed, but Ohio is carrying substantially larger-than-average fall grain supplies. That increases the importance of elevator space, rail availability and movement toward eastern and Gulf export channels.
Delta & South
- Arkansas: Drought intensified sharply. Extreme drought expanded across northern Arkansas, while exceptional drought developed or expanded in the south. Severely depleted soil moisture, low streamflows and agricultural impact reports point to increasing pressure on pastures, livestock water supplies and fall field conditions.
- Louisiana: Exceptional drought expanded across northern Louisiana as rainfall deficits continued. Vegetation and upper-soil dryness remain severe, increasing wildfire concerns and adding pressure to livestock and forage operations.
- Mississippi: Drought conditions continued to worsen as recent rainfall failed to erase accumulated deficits. Soil moisture and streamflow remain low across affected areas, limiting pasture recovery and creating concerns for livestock water availability.
- Tennessee: Persistent moisture shortages led to additional drought expansion. Conditions are especially important for cattle and forage producers entering the winter feeding season with limited opportunities for pasture recovery.
- Alabama and Georgia: Conditions improved in some areas following earlier tropical rainfall, but significant dryness remains across western Alabama and northern Georgia. Vegetation dryness remains elevated where heavier rainfall missed.
West & Southwest
- California and Nevada: Much of California and Nevada remained dry during the latest assessment period. Additional precipitation is expected across portions of California, but long-term water concerns continue across the broader Colorado River system.
- Arizona: Recent rainfall produced additional drought improvement across parts of the central mountains and eastern Arizona. Additional moisture is favored across portions of the Southwest this week.
- New Mexico: Repeated rainfall improved conditions across central and southern New Mexico. Long-term concerns remain along the Rio Grande, where reservoir storage continues to be exceptionally low.
- Colorado and Utah: Rain and mountain snow improved short-term moisture conditions across portions of both states. Lake Powell remained near 22 percent of capacity as of October 20, keeping long-term Colorado River water supplies a major concern for western agriculture.
Northwest & Northern Rockies
- Washington: Localized drought improvement occurred after recent moisture, while additional precipitation is expected along parts of the Pacific Coast. Grain producers are also benefiting from strong Pacific Northwest export activity.
- Oregon: Conditions changed little after another relatively dry period. Pacific Northwest transportation remains important as export demand shifts more soybeans toward western ports.
- Idaho: Persistent low streamflows remain a concern despite recent regional storms. Rail infrastructure investment could help grain handlers as projects move forward to accommodate larger railcars.
- Montana and Wyoming: Southeastern Montana continues to face long-term moisture shortages. Wyoming received rain and early mountain snow that improved some short-term conditions, but eastern portions still carry lingering deficits.
Northeast
- New York and New England: Rain improved short-term drought conditions across portions of New York, Vermont, New Hampshire, western Massachusetts and Connecticut. Northern Maine remains the exception, where severe drought expanded slightly.
- Pennsylvania and the Mid-Atlantic: Conditions were largely unchanged. Groundwater and streamflow remain below normal in some areas, while the near-term outlook favors below-normal precipitation from the Ohio Valley through much of the Northeast.
Upper Midwest & Great Lakes
- Minnesota: Recent rainfall helped stabilize conditions, but longer-term moisture deficits remain across northern portions of the state. Minnesota also enters the late fall transportation period with grain supplies well above historical averages.
- Wisconsin: Longer-term drought remains an issue despite recent rain. Northern Wisconsin continues to carry some of the region’s more serious moisture shortages.
- Michigan: Rain stabilized conditions across much of the state, but the Upper Peninsula continues to face lingering moisture deficits. Michigan is also among states receiving federal support for rail improvements serving agricultural shippers.
Far North, Hawaii & U.S. Territories
- Alaska: Abnormal dryness was removed from Southeast Alaska after substantial rainfall, although drought persists in the upper Tanana Valley. The near-term outlook favors wetter-than-normal conditions across much of mainland Alaska.
- Hawaii: Drought conditions were largely unchanged. The near-term outlook favors above-normal precipitation, which could provide some relief for grazing and water supplies.
- Puerto Rico: Drought improved across portions of western and eastern Puerto Rico after additional rainfall. Longer-term dryness remains along portions of the southern coast, where groundwater and reservoir supplies continue to be concerns.
