PNW Wheat Areas Are Getting Dry

According to USDA's Weekly Weather report, last week in the Northwest late-week precipitation provided some relief from developing drought. Precipitation topped 2 inches in parts of the northern Rockies and exceeded 4 inches west of the Cascades.

On January 5, record-setting highs in California climbed to 71°F in Red Bluff and farther north, consecutive daily-record highs of 57 and 58 degrees F were also noted last Friday and Saturday in Portland.

Brad Rippey USDA meteorologist says there are some concerns now for the Pacific Northwest winter wheat crop with several weeks of dry weather.

Rippey: "In the Pacific Northwest, we do have some recent dryness-related concerns. Now the good news for the Northwestern wheat -- the white winter wheat -- is that it was extremely well-established. We had a very wet start to the growing season in September and so good moisture early on, helped to get that crop well established. We had snow cover during the December cold wave in the Northwest but more recently we've had warm dry conditions so if that trend were to continue in Northwest, we may have some drought concerns developing towards spring."

Rippey shares the weather forecast for next week.

Rippey: "There is no sign of change in the western United States, mild-to-warm and dry conditions expected to continue through this entire time period. The greatest likelihood of those warm dry conditions unfortunately in California and the Southwest. Generally a warm-dry pattern for the West and a cool-dry pattern for the Eastern third of the United States."