Weather Report 05 January 2018
South Africa - Weather Crop conditions will remain generally favorable across eastern South Africa during the next two weeks. Net drying will gradually reduce soil moisture, though most locations have enough moisture to maintain aggressive growth outside pockets of Limpopo and eastern North West. Concerns for dryness may increase later this month if the light and erratic rain pattern continues. Northern Cape and western sections of Free State and North West will remain critically dry during the next two weeks. Crop conditions will further deteriorate and concerns for production losses will increase. Significant rain will be needed to improve the outlook in most areas. Temperatures will remain in a near to above average bias across South Africa through next Thursday. Daytime highs will peak into the 80s and 90s Fahrenheit with portions of eastern South Africa and pockets in the south frequently warming into the 60s and 70s. Portions of northern and western South Africa will warm above 100 degrees as well. Low temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s with pockets in the 40s.
United States of America - Weather U.S. MIDWEST: Temperatures will remain much colder than normal through Friday before warming occurs this weekend into early next week and another shot of cooler air arrives near the middle of next week. A restricted precipitation pattern will occur most often through the next two weeks with two rounds of organized precipitation expected by late next week. The first will occur Sunday into Monday with some light rain and snow expected and moisture content greatest in the south. Confidence is lower for the next round of precipitation that will occur Wednesday into next Friday. U.S. DELTA AND SOUTHEAST:Portions of northern Florida saw a rare snow event Wednesday as a wintry mix of precipitation occurred from the northern Florida Peninsula and the eastern Florida Panhandle through central and eastern North Carolina and southeastern Virginia. Most of the snow was light in Florida while other areas in that region saw accumulations of 1 to 4 inches with local totals near 6 inches. Moisture content of the precipitation was up to 0.77 inch with a total of 1.34 inches in coastal North Carolina. The Delta and the Southeast will see a quiet pattern most often through the next two weeks with two well-organized precipitation events expected to be surrounded by mostly dry conditions.
South America - Weather BRAZIL: Southern Brazil and Paraguay were mostly dry Wednesday while rain fell on a large part of northern Brazil. The two-week outlook has not changed significantly since Tuesday and remains favorable for crops in much of Brazil and Paraguay. Regular rounds of showers and thunderstorms are expected to bring enough rain to maintain favorable soil conditions in much of the region. Portions of northeastern and far southern Brazil will dry down, however, and these areas will be monitored for dryness. Each region has adequate soil moisture in place today and as long as the timely rain in the northeast today into Thursday and the timely rain in the south January 10-17 occurs as advertised conditions for crops should be favorable during the next two weeks. ARGENTINA: Stress to crops should rise and threaten yield potentials in the driest areas in southern and northern Argentina during the next week to ten days while warm to hot temperatures and a lack of significant rain elsewhere leads to expanding dryness and increasing crop stress. After that, a timely increase in rain is advertised for Jan. 11-16. Confidence is low for the details of this rain, but the moisture will be important in preventing crops in a large part of Argentina from becoming seriously stressed.
Europe, New Zealand and Australia - Weather EUROPE: Beneficial moisture is expected to occur over the Iberian Peninsula, southern France and northern Italy helping boost soil moisture in lingering drier biased areas. The moisture will be welcome and will help provide a better environment for winter crops, especially over interior northwest to southeast portions of Spain where conditions have been driest. AUSTRALIA: Restricted rain occurred Wednesday into early this morning. Rain showers occurred near and along the eastern coast of New South Wales and southeast Queensland where most totals were no more than 0.25 inch. A few totals exceeded 0.50 inch up to 1.00 inch in southeast Queensland. Otherwise, dry weather occurred. High temperatures Wednesday varied in the 90s and up to 110 Fahrenheit throughout interior Queensland and interior northern New South Wales as well as interior Western Australia. Otherwise, highest temperatures varied in the 80s and 90s most often with some 70s in Victoria and southeast South Australia. Lows this morning were no cooler than the 40s and 50s in Victoria and 50s and 60s elsewhere with some 70s in the north.