Ag Weather Impacts

Rainfall from a series of weather disturbances on Thursday through Monday was mainly ¼ to ¾ inch, so usuable moisture was received on most farms. The heaviest reported amounts were in the eastern Columbia Basin from Connell to Dayton where a inch to an inch and a quarter reports were common. Early season snow in the mountains above 5000 feet piled up to over a foot in many spots, but it probably won’t last. The last in this series of weather disturbances is exiting the region this morning. Now look for a ridge of high pressure to bring several days of dry weather with temperatures near to slightly above normal into Friday. So this should allow fall harvest to proceed in most areas. Now we’re gonna have to plan on a cold front to enter the region Friday night with lower temperatures into Monday as some of this air will originate in Canada. As a result, overnight temperatures early next week could dip to the upper 20s and lower 30s. The coldest mornings will probably be Monday and Tuesday. It looks like precipitation from the front this weekend though will be confined to mainly the mountains. Soil are still warm enough for decent pasture and winter wheat development this week. Currently soil temperatures are in the mid and upper 40s and should rise into the upper 40s to lower 50s by Friday before retreating to the lower and mid 40s over the weekend and early next week.