We use cookies on our website. By continuing to browse our site, you are agreeing to our use of cookies. Find out more about our cookies Hide

Skip to content

Cotlook Indices

A Index Explained . Date of index value: 14:27 GMT 15th Mar, 2024

Index Name Value Change
A Index 98.45 (-1.35)

Login to Cotlook

Open, warm weather rules across US cotton belt


 

Record-breaking and/or record-tying highs were reported in parts of the Far West and Desert Southwest over the three-day holiday weekend, where readings climbed into the upper 80°s and 90°s (F). Although cooler conditions are projected today, abnormally high temperatures are expected to linger for a few days, ranging from 5° to 10° above average in California’s San Joaquin Valley. Sunny, warm weather remains in the near-term forecast, and no precipitation is expected. Planting is expanding, and work will quickly gain momentum this week. The high heat will help spur seed germination, but a general rain would be welcomed to ensure healthy stands.

 

Mostly cloudy, windy, much warmer temperatures are expected across West Texas today, and daytime highs are projected from the upper 70°s to the 80°s (F) most of this week, with gusting winds of as many as 40 mph. The unseasonably hot, dry, windy weather is further depleting soil moisture levels, and blowing dust is occurring. A slow-soaking rain is urgently needed to ease droughty conditions, but no precipitation is in the 10-day forecast. Producers have been applying irrigation water, where possible, in preparation for the upcoming planting season, which usually commences on the northern High Plains around the first week of May. However, soil temperatures are rising with the extended heat, and some growers may opt to sow prior to the official seeding date.

 

Elsewhere in the state, fair weather ruled across South Texas over the weekend, and near-seasonable, breezy conditions are expected today. Producers have finished planting in the Rio Grande Valley, and work is nearing an end in the Coastal Bend. Seeds are sprouting rapidly under the heat, and young stands are developing satisfactorily. Soil moisture levels remain short, and a general rain would be welcomed to spur germination and enhance young growth. Meanwhile, sowing is expanding in the Upper Coastal Bend district at a steady pace, and if open weather holds, work will likely be completed within the next week to 10 days.

 

Springtime weather prevails across the Memphis Territory today, ending the brief period of unseasonably cold temperatures. Nighttime lows dropped into the upper 20°s and 30°s early in the holiday weekend, and a hard freeze was reported. A warming trend began Saturday, and daytime highs climbed into the 60°s and 70°s (F). Soils are warming, and fieldwork is resuming in fields that are firm enough to support heavy machinery. Corn planting is well underway in southern locales, and cotton sowing is expected to commence in the next week to 10 days, weather permitting. There is a good chance of rain falling around mid-week, and growers are rushing to apply fertilizers and pre-plant herbicides before the inclement weather arrives. Precipitation accumulations of between 1.00’’ and 2.00’’ are projected, which will further delay spring fieldwork.

 

Similar conditions are being reported in the Southeast today, and highs are forecast in the 70°s and low 80°s through tomorrow. Fair weather ruled over the weekend, allowing soft soils to firm, and open skies are expected in the upcoming days. Farmers continue to prepare equipment for the upcoming season, and cotton planting is expected to commence in the Lower Southeast as soon as soil conditions reach optimal levels.

 

 


Related Links

Posted in: Cotlook Headlines News

Leave a Reply