Warm to end the Year, Brief Cold Shot This Weekend
An active pattern, but a lack of rain in the southwestern Plains, and scattered showers in just the right spots in Argentina are the weather factors driving the markets Tuesday.
MINNEAPOLIS (DTN) — An active pattern, but a lack of rain in the southwestern Plains, and scattered showers in just the right spots in Argentina are the weather factors driving the markets Tuesday.
CLIPPER BRINGING BURST OF COLDER AIR TO THE MIDWEST LATER THIS WEEK
A system brought scattered showers to the Midwest on Monday, especially near the Ohio River. Another system moving through Tuesday and Wednesday will produce more scattered showers, again heavier near the Ohio River. A clipper moving through Thursday and Friday will bring through a band of heavier snow to the north, while also bringing through some briefly colder air. The pattern stays active next week, and some drought reduction is possible as temperatures rise well above normal to end the year.
LITTLE PRECIPITATION IN THE SOUTHWESTERN PLAINS
A front produced showers for the southeastern Plains on Monday that continues there through Wednesday, but wheat areas in the west will be drier, a continued pattern since a wet November. The pattern may be a little more favorable for precipitation next week.
COLDER AIR IN THE NORTHERN PLAINS THIS WEEK, WARMER NEXT WEEK
Colder air is building up in the Canadian Prairies and will seep into the Northern Plains over the next couple of days. More widespread cold should follow behind a clipper that moves through Wednesday night and Thursday. The clipper could bring through some needed precipitation to northern areas in the form of a heavy band of snow. Any cold should not last long as warmer air spreads back in again this weekend.
ACTIVE PATTERN IS HELPFUL FOR THE MISSISSIPPI RIVER
Recent showers in the Mississippi and Ohio Valleys gave a bump to water levels on the river and the pattern is favoring more heavy rain in the basin this week with several systems and fronts, especially in the Ohio Valley. That should help to give a longer bump in water levels along the river, removing restrictions for transport across the Lower Mississippi for a while.
OVERALL GOOD WEATHER CONTINUES IN BRAZIL
Overall good weather conditions continue with scattered wet season showers in central Brazil and fronts continuing to come up from Argentina with scattered showers for southern states. This general pattern is forecast to continue through the end of the year at least, favoring flowering to filling soybeans and developing corn.
SCATTERED SHOWERS HITTING THE RIGHT SPOTS IN ARGENTINA
A front that moves through Argentina Wednesday and Thursday will bring some isolated showers, along with another one or two this weekend and early next week. Though precipitation is spotty, it is favored to hit some of the driest areas in the country, especially the high production state of Cordoba. Other areas will be missed though, and that could lead to other dry areas developing for the country.
TOO WET IN NORTHWEST EUROPE
Several waves of systems, fronts and showers are forecast to move through Europe through early next week, keeping up overly wet soils in the northwest, but maintaining or improving soil moisture for most other areas. Spain is forecast to be on the lighter end, though, and could use more rain.
DRIER IN AUSTRALIA
A front brought some isolated showers to small parts of southern Australia on Monday, but the pattern is certainly drier to end the year. That helps with the remaining wheat and canola harvest, but will dry out soils for cotton and sorghum after recent rains had improved conditions there.
John Baranick can be reached at john.baranick@dtn.com