Ag Weather Summary (Monthly)
In nearly all areas of the country, summer crop harvesting during October advanced at a torrid pace, amid frequently drier-than-normal conditions.
Weather Summary (November)
In nearly all areas of the country, summer crop harvesting during October advanced at a torrid pace, amid frequently drier-than-normal conditions. By October 30, the Nation's rice harvest (97 percent complete) was nearly done, while progress had advanced beyond the three-quarters mark for sugarbeets (89 percent), soybeans (88 percent), peanuts (79 percent), sorghum (77 percent), and corn (76 percent). Except for rice, on par with the normal pace, all those harvest numbers were ahead of the respective 5-year averages. Meanwhile, winter wheat seeding progressed roughly on schedule (87 percent planted by October 30, versus the 5-year average of 85 percent), although emergence was hampered in some areas by lack of moisture and October freezes. Near the end of October, wheat emergence lagged the average pace by 7 to 32 percentage points in eight states-four on the Great Plains and four from the mid-South into the lower Midwest.
Cooler-than-normal October weather dominated areas from the middle and lower Mississippi Valley to the middle and southern Atlantic States. Southeastern monthly temperatures broadly averaged 2 to 4°F below normal. The chilliest weather arrived in two separate waves, about a week apart, in early to mid-October, with the latter cold snap resulting in freezes deep into the Gulf Coast States, including portions of Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and northern Florida. In places where freezes occurred, the combination of dry weather and cold conditions curtailed pasture growth and limited winter wheat establishment. The cold weather also nipped a few immature summer crops, including double-cropped, late-planted soybeans. On October 9, about the time of the first round of freezes into the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, 91 percent of the Nation's soybeans were dropping leaves. Those numbers were lower in states such as Kentucky (70 percent dropping leaves) and Tennessee (85 percent), although temperatures were only marginally low enough in those areas to cause freeze injury. In contrast, monthly temperatures averaged 4 to 8°F above normal in parts of the Northwest. It was the warmest October on record in Washington locations such as Omak (57.1°F, or 8.0°F above normal) and Spokane (55.0°F, or 7.1°F above normal).
Following the Nation's driest September since 1956, drier-than-normal weather continued to dominate many parts of the country in October. Among the areas receiving above-normal October precipitation were the northern Atlantic region and a swath from southeastern California to western Texas. A late-month storm system delivered much-needed moisture from the southern Plains to the Great Lakes region. Periods of beneficial precipitation also occurred from the Pacific Northwest to Montana and western North Dakota. Even with spotty precipitation, national topsoil moisture rated very short to short peaked on October 23 at 68 percent. By October 30, very short to short ratings at or above 70 percent were observed in a dozen states from the Rockies and Plains into the Southeast, led by Oklahoma (91 percent) and Kansas (89 percent). This year's dry autumn, superimposed on long-term drought, lowered river levels in the Mississippi River basin. During October, record-low water levels were observed on the Mississippi River from New Madrid, Missouri, downstream to Greenville, Mississippi. Previous record lows had been mostly set in July 1988 or August 2012, although Greenville's low-water mark had been established on January 4, 1964. The reduced water levels restricted barge traffic on the Nation's busiest inland waterway and necessitated dredging operations to widen and deepen the river channel.
Drought coverage in the contiguous United States stood at 62.95 percent on October 25 and 62.78 percent on November 1, up from a recent minimum of 44.02 percent on September 6, according to the Drought Monitor. Moderate to exceptional drought (D1 to D4) coverage was last higher in 2012, when coverage peaked at 65.45 percent on September 25. National drought coverage was last below 40 percent more than 2 years ago, on September 22, 2020. Finally, coverage of abnormal dryness (D0) and drought (D1 to D4) grew to a 21st century record of 85.28 percent by November 1, surpassing 80.76 percent on July 17, 2012.
As the month progressed, Northwestern precipitation helped to tamp down dozens of previously active wildfires. Still, by late October, national wildfires had burned more than 7.2 million acres of vegetation, well above the 10-year average of 6.7 million acres. January-October wildfires have charred more than 7 million acres in 5 of the last 8 years. Meanwhile, the Atlantic tropical basin turned relatively quiet again, following the early-month departure of Hurricane Ian's remnants. Named Atlantic tropical cyclones that formed during October were Julia, Karl, and Lisa-all three remained well south of the United States.