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La Nina transition could bring moisture to Corn Belt
An atmospheric scientist says the transition to the La Nina weather pattern is underway.
Matt Makens tells Brownfield he’s expecting the current southern storm flow to shift to the central and northern crop growing states. “As we go through the next four to six weeks, we’re going to see a favorable transition of getting some water here for the early part of the (growing) season.”
He says this could help improve soil conditions across the Corn Belt. “We do have really substantial soil moisture issues across Iowa, Missouri, Kansas, parts of Nebraska, but we’ve seen really wet weather on the opposite side out by Ohio. They’ve had too much water and some flooding concerns.”
But Makens says the La Nina transition means a drier pattern for the Delta region later this summer. “We’re favorable, but mostly in the early part of this season and then we taper that moisture off later, barring that tropical storm threat late.”
Makens says the warmer than normal temperatures this past winter has allowed soils to better absorb precipitation that has recently fallen.
AUDIO: Matt Makens on the transition to La Nina
