Ag Weather Impact

Ag Weather Impact

Rainfall this past week was mainly a quarter inch or less for the Columbia Basin, but some farms in Grant, Kittitas, and western Yakima County got up to 2/3 inch. Now for the 3rd year in a row, we're going to end this first month of the water year with above normal rainfall. Although the October rain did cause some delays for corn harvest and last cutting of alfalfa, it really helped wheat germination and emergence. If you remember, from mid June through September, many areas had less than 25 percent of normal rainfall. Now recently dormant pastures are greening in many areas as well. This active weather pattern will bring a warm front with more rain tonight and Wednesday. After this warm frontal passage, look for temperatures to be 10 to 15 degrees above normal for Thursday and Friday. A cold front this weekend will produce showers and lower temperatures closer to normal, but still no hard freeze is expected. Precipitation amounts from these two rain events should be a quarter to half inch on most farms with areas near the Cascades and Blue Mountains getting ½ to 1 inch. Soil temperatures range from the lower 50s north of Yakima to Connell to the mid and upper 50s across the southern 2/3 of the Columbia Basin. Plan on soil temperatures to remain fairly stable this week and then fall 3 to 5 degrees next week, but this will still promote good emergence and development of winter wheat.
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