Central U.S. Bitter Cold Stresses Livestock, Threatens Crops
By Drew Lerner
Kansas City, December 18 (World Weather Inc.) – Bitter cold air spread across the middle part of the United States this morning stressing livestock and threatening winter crops. The cold will shift to the east and impact the heart of the Midwest tonight, but readings will not be as extreme as they were this morning. No significant winterkill likely resulted from the cold this morning and similar conditions were expected Monday.
An impressive cold high pressure center was settled over the central U.S. Great Plains this morning dropping temperatures to their coldest levels in years. Extremes this morning were coldest in South Dakota with several readings in the negative 30s Fahrenheit. Aberdeen and Oak Creek, South Dakota reached -36 for the coldest readings at official weather reporting sites. Temperatures were down to -32 at one point this morning at Watertown, S.D. Temperatures were actually warmer 
further to the north than they were in South Dakota with negative teens and negative 20s impacting the far northern states in the Great Plains and further north into Canada’s Prairies. A few locations in east-central Colorado also dropped to the negative lower 20s while a few other extremes below negative 30 occurred in Montana.
Subzero-degree Fahrenheit low temperatures occurred this morning as far south as the northwestern counties in West Texas cotton country with most of the Texas Panhandle reporting temperatures below zero. Northwestern Oklahoma was also below zero this morning with positive single digits noted in many other areas in both states. Subzero-degree temperatures occurred as far to the east as parts of northern and western Missouri and northwestern Illinois. Low temperatures in the positive teens and 20s occurred in central and northern Texas.
The sudden drop in temperatures likely stressed livestock across the middle of the nation. Most animals likely dealt with the cold as well as possible, but some illness and possible death may have occurred in a few areas. Some freezing rain, freezing drizzle and snow fell prior to the coldest temperatures arriving and that may have added to the stress for some of the livestock. Most of the ice occurred in Missouri and some neighboring areas into the lower Midwest.
Snow fell in many areas, as well. Satellite imagery from this morning suggested that most of the coldest areas noted above had snow on the ground this morning to protect winter wheat from damage. Depths varied from one-third of an inch to nearly 2 inches. That should have been sufficient to protect the majority of crops. However, it is unclear how much of the region received less than one-half 
inch. It is still possible that a few crops might have been damaged due to limited snow cover, but those occurrences are suspected of being rare suggesting most of the crop will remain viable and should resume development in the spring if soil moisture is sufficient when temperatures trend seasonably warmer.
Temperatures tonight are expected to be bitterly cold again across the Plains and Midwest. Extremes below zero degrees Fahrenheit are expected to be mostly confined to eastern Colorado, western Kansas, western Nebraska and from Missouri into Michigan, Wisconsin and Minnesota. Each of these areas will still be sufficiently covered in snow to prevent any damaging conditions from occurring.
Positive single digit lows will occur tonight down into northwestern Texas, most of Oklahoma and from northern Arkansas into the immediate Ohio River Valley. Some light snow will fall across portions of the Ohio River Valley today and that will help protect winter crops a little more from any permanent damage. Most of the low temperatures Monday in the Ohio Valley are not expected to be quite cold enough to cause damage with or without snow, but the situation will be closely monitored. If temperatures get colder than expected and snow cover is limited or absent there might still be some potential for damage. World Weather, Inc. believes any damage that evolves from the bitter cold will be extremely limited and should not have much, if any, impact on total production.
World Weather, Inc. forecasts and comments pertaining to present, past and future weather conditions included in this report constitute the corporation’s judgment as of the date of this report and are subject to change without notice. Comments regarding damage or the impact of weather on agricultural and energy as well as comments made regarding the impact of weather on the commodity and financial markets are the explicit opinions of World Weather, Inc. World Weather, Inc. cannot be held responsible for decisions made by users of the Corporation’s information in any business, trade or investment decision.
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