Midwest Temps Dip; Frost Chances Remain Low

The system that brought monsoon-type rainfall to parts of the Midwest over the last few days has moved out of the region, unfolding into an air mass that's brought unseasonably cool temperatures that will likely persist through the weekend, though frost chances remain on the low side.

Temperatures will range from the 50s to the 70s in much of the Corn Belt through early next week. And, aside from a string of light showers through Friday, things should stay on the dry side through the next week to 10 days, according to Harvey Freese of Freese-Notis Weather, Inc.

"A new system will bring light showers to the west late Thursday into Friday and farther east late Friday into early Saturday with most amounts under .25 inch. Otherwise, it looks dry this weekend with unseasonably cool temps," Freese says. "Weekend highs will be mostly in the 60s, a few low 70s far south and southwest on Sunday. Not much change into early next week. No changes for the frost potential Saturday morning as most lows in the northern Corn Belt will be in the mid- to upper-30s range, but isolated spots in northern Iowa, southern Minnesota, and western Wisconsin could get close to 32 degrees."


While temperatures will likely remain below normal through the next 10 days, Freese says they'll moderate in the 11- to 15-day period. Until then, look for widespread frost chances to remain about normal.

"For the six- to 10-day outlook (September 16-20), below-normal temps across the region with below-normal rainfall in the north and near-normal central and south. For the 11- to 15-day period, warming to above-normal west portion and near-normal temps farther east," Freese says. "The latest European model looks similar to the past run, if anything, a little less cold for Friday night and Saturday morning. It still looks cooler than normal for the six- to 10-day period on the latest run, but not cold enough for any frost concerns."

Some farmers still say the cooler temperatures are still a little worrisome, especially considering the late development pace for the corn and soybean crops in some spots.

"Well, it's raw in north-central Iowa; Saturday morning, there is a call for 36 degrees . . . the thing is, on deals like this, it always gets colder than what's predicted. There are a lot of green beans, and it will be interesting if there's any 'silage smell' Saturday afternoon," says Agriculture.com Marketing Talk veteran contributor BA Deere. "My concern is a wet, late harvest with winter setting in a little too early. I could see places where they'd just let the corn sit over winter if it was 30% moisture and a poor basis that had corn in the low 2s. Not saying that that would be significant to the price scheme of things, but in local areas, it could be devastating."

Jeff Caldwell, Multimedia Editor for Agriculture.com and Successful Farming magazine