Winter wheat crops in parts of the US southern Plains and Midwest are in for a messy weekend.
Freezing rain, snow, high winds, and bitterly cold temperatures are forecast to wallop portions of Kansas, Illinois, and Ohio beginning Saturday and lasting into Monday. Areas of Nebraska, as well as Missouri, Indiana, Virginia and Kentucky are expected to feel the storm’s wrath as well.
According to World Weather, significant freezing rain, sleet, and snow will occur across the southern half of the region late Saturday into Monday. Snow accumulations will range from 6 to 14 inches from northeastern Kansas and far southeastern Nebraska through central and possibly southern Ohio. Ice accumulations from freezing rain could amount to more than a half inch in a thin zone from east-central Kansas into southern Ohio.
Temperatures are forecast to plunge following the worst of the storm. The coldest weather is expected on Tuesday through Thursday, with readings in some locations potentially falling into the negative teens degrees F.
Regardless, wheat futures do not appear worried about the potential for damage, with snow ahead of the falling mercury expected to protect crops from the coldest temperatures. The additional moisture is not expected to hurt either. Wheat futures declined on the first trading day of 2025 on Thursday, mainly due to pressure from the strong American dollar, and were trading lower again Friday morning.
