Clear weather across most of the cotton belt

After heavy rains over the weekend, soils in the Memphis Territory should dry quickly with favourable weather expected over the next few days. Mostly clear skies and temperatures forecast in the mid-50°s (F) are expected with rain chances returning late in the week. Beneficial rains this winter have improved soil conditions across the Delta but drought still remains a concern as the planting season approaches. Areas of concern are West Tennessee, southeastern Arkansas, North Mississippi, the Mississippi Delta and Louisiana where fields are rated under ‘abnormally dry’ to pockets of ‘exceptional’ drought in Mississippi. Producers are attending industry meetings discussing planting options for the spring.

A mix of sun and clouds will dominate this week in West Texas where daytime temperatures will reach into the mid-60°s. A slight chance for scattered showers is forecast in the South Plains region late Wednesday. Growers have been pleased with the amount of winter precipitation received over the past couple of months as most of the region remains drought free. Temperatures will warm into the 80°s in South Texas as the week progresses. Windy conditions could deplete moisture from fields with gusts up to 40 mph expected towards the middle of the week. Planting should start in the next couple of weeks as soil temperatures warm to optimal levels.

The atmospheric storm in the Far West continues to bring precipitation to California after heavy rain and snow was reported over the past couple of days. Fields are completely saturated causing a flash flood watch to be in place. Rain is likely to last through today before chances decrease to around 20 percent for the remainder of the week. Arizona will also see additional rainfall this week as the most recent forecast shows rain chances between 20 to 80 percent over the next few days. Daytime temperatures will remain on the cooler side, only reaching into the upper 50°s to lower 60°s.

Sun and seasonable temperatures are expected across the Southeast over the next few days with rain chances increasing as the week comes to an end. Most of the region remains drought free, except for Alabama where soils are rated mostly between ‘abnormally dry’ to ‘moderate’ drought.

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