There is no imminent cold weather threat, but more snow cover is needed across US winter wheat areas.
As can be seen on the map below, most of Hard Red Winter country and the Corn Belt remain snow free, with just minor amounts across the northern Plains, including North Dakota. On the other hand, snow is more plentiful further west into Idaho and Washington where the White Winter wheat crop is predominantly grown.
Little precipitation is in the forecast for the main Hard Red Winter growing areas on the central and southern Plains up until at least Christmas, although current outlooks suggest no potentially damaging cold either. Some snow is expected for the northern Plains over the next week but still more would be ideal ahead of significantly cold weather that is forecast to move in early next week.
The overall condition of the 2025 US winter wheat crop was much improved heading into the winter after many producers were forced to seed into overly dry conditions in the early fall.
The USDA’s final crop report for the 2024 growing season in late November showed 55% of the American winter wheat in good or excellent condition, 5 points above a year earlier. The USDA’s first condition report for the crop in late October put it at only 38% good to excellent. The 17-percentage point improvement in the good-to-excellent rating from October to November was the largest such improvement observed during this period in records going back to 1987.
