National Drought Monitor. Drill down to state drought information by clicking on the desired state once, which takes you to regional information, and then a second time to access state information.
Climate Prediction Center (National Weather Service) with short- and long-term temperature and precipitation outlooks
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Figure 1. Planting into cold soil (below 50°F) when cold conditions are expected for the next 48 hours can lead to germination problems and seedlings not emerging or not emerging well. 1a. Corn seedling that started leafing out below ground and now has twisted leaves which will delay or negate normal plant development.. Figures 1b-c. Unemerged seedlings attempting to leaf out belowground. None of the seedlings shown should be counted as a productive plant.
With stormy conditions back in the picture, many growers may be concerned about planting corn into cold, wet soils? By checking weather forecasts and soil temperature at planting (in the field and online) and the cold tolerance of seed, growers can identify 48-hour windows of opportunity for planting.
A new email listserve offers eastern Nebraska winter wheat growers a means for asking questions and sharing information with other growers as well as getting weekly highlights and resources.
Figures 1 and 2. Comparison of the February 15 (left) and March 15 precipitation outlooks for June-August 2018, showing Nebraska is no longer in a large area of below-normal precipitation. A indicates above normal chances, N indicates normal changes, B indicates below normal chances and EC indicates equal chances for precipitation percentages provided in the key. (Source: NOAA Climate Prediction Center)
The Climate Prediction Center’s March 15 outlook continues to favor dry conditions for the Southern Plains. Its summer precipitation outlook, however, has changed and is shifting the highest probabilities for below normal moisture south (Figures 1 and 2).
After a drier and warmer than normal November, the Drought Monitor showed a marked increase in how much of Nebraska was dry, increasing the "abnormally dry" area from 9% to 61% this week.
As evidenced by field after field of broken corn stalks and ears lying on the ground, the Nebraska plains were swept by winds of 30-50 mph, often over a sustained period, Oct. 23-27. Two tables show the peak gusts as well as how many hours in a given day two sites experienced high winds.
