Warmer and drier conditions into early November favor harvest activities

The final full week of October, week-ending Oct. 29, began with very warm, almost summer-like temperatures across portions of the Corn Belt, but temperatures cooled down in the second half of the week. Rain, some of it heavy, fell in the southern Plains and up into southern Missouri with nearly an inch of rain, even up into Des Moines, Iowa. The rain helped improve drought conditions from eastern Oklahoma and northwest Arkansas to western Missouri. However, a large portion of the Mississippi and Ohio River Valleys saw drought severity increase, according to the United States Drought Monitor as of Oct. 25.

Temperatures for October 2022 as a whole in the Corn Belt trended closer to normal. Below average temperatures were more common in the eastern Corn Belt, while above average temperatures were more common in the western Corn Belt. Widespread freezing temperatures in the third week of October, week-ending Oct. 22, gave way to near summer-like warmth late that week. 

According to data from WeatherTrends360 this was the 3rd driest October in over 30 years for the Corn Belt as a whole. The dry conditions were favorable for fieldwork and harvest. However, as the winter season quickly approaches, the current state of drought is an indication of where we’ll start the 2023 planting season in terms of soil moisture and drought conditions.

In the short term, November 2022 will begin with warmer, abnormally dry weather in the Corn Belt. Much of the region will be between storm systems in the week-ending Nov. 5, which will keep a large portion of the area drier than normal. A cold front moving through late in the week will be the focus for showers and possible thunderstorms. Colder weather is expected in the northern Plains and upper Midwest by late in the week.

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