Ag Weather Impacts

Ag Weather Impacts

We have a couple more weather disturbances to close out 2018. A warm front will bring areas of rain later today and tonight. There could be pockets of light freezing rain in the central Washington valleys where the cold air remains entrenched. Overall rainfall amounts should be a tenth of an inch or less. Plan on a rather strong cold front from the northern Pacific region tomorrow night and early Sunday to bring light showers and gusty winds followed by colder air into New Year's Day. Temperatures though should be only slightly below normal. Snowpack that feeds the Columbia Basin's streams and reservoirs has increased to between 90 and 100 percent and should improve even more this weekend. But as 2018 winds down, the active weather pattern we've seen the last half of December will also be winding down. Little or no precipitation is expected the first week of the new year. Soil temperatures are currently in the 30s and will likely show little change over this next week, so pastures and winter wheat growth should be in a holding pattern. Even though the winter wheat is exposed, there does not appear to be any extreme cold temperatures in the next two to three weeks. By mid January, we will be passed our normal coldest period and average temperatures start rising a little over a half degree each week. I'll be back on Monday for a special New Year's eve edition.
Previous ReportAg Weather Impacts
Next ReportAG Weather Impacts