Crop Insurance Today June 2018 - 6

increasingly uncertain future this review helps
to demonstrate the important role played by an
available, affordable, and viable crop insurance
program for U.S. agriculture.

Figure 2 Winter 2016/2017 (Dec-Feb)
Statewide Precipitation Ranks, 1895-2017

U.S. WEATHER AND
PRODUCATION OF
MAJOR CROPS

Winter 2016-17: Last year discussions
about the weather were dominated by what was
reported as one of the strongest El Niño episodes
in history. El Niño and La Niña are part of a cycle
that runs over the course of three to seven years
and while La Niña don't always follow El Niño,
it is more likely to do so after a strong El Niño.
(Figure 1.) Accordingly, as the year began it was
widely expected that the U.S, would experience
weather conditions consistent with the impacts
of a La Niña period. In general, such events
have resulted in below-average precipitation and
above average temperatures in the southern and
southeastern parts of the U.S. with colder and
wetter conditions in the northern parts of the nation. Roughly opposite of the effects linked to El
Niño years.
However, predicting the weather can be
tricky. The La Niña quickly faded, and by the
end of the winter it had disappeared. A pool of
cool water remained in the northeastern Pacific
Ocean that may have resulted in an active Pacific
jet stream that led to the Nation's wettest December-February period since 1997-98. The winter
weather did have some similarities with what has
been experienced in La Nina periods as, in general, warmer temperatures were experienced in all
but the Nation's northwestern corner. In fact, it
was the warmest February recorded in the U.S.
since 1954.
There were some periods of extreme cold
in mid-December and early January; however,
for the most part colder weather was only experienced in the Northwest. The lower temperatures and precipitation caused difficulties for
livestock and wildlife. Heavy snow was reported
to have damaged some storage facilities in the
region as well.
The Plains and Midwest had enough snow
cover to limit damage to winter wheat during
brief periods of extreme cold. As indicated on
the precipitation map (Figure 2); some states
in the Central and Southern Plains were more
concerned with the potential effects of drought
conditions, not cold weather relative to the
wheat crop.
6

JUNE2018

Record
Driest
(1)

Much
Below
Average

Below
Average

Near
Average

Above
Average

Much
Above
Average

Record
Wettest
(122)

Source: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/us-maps

Figure 3 Spring 2017 (Mar-May)
Statewide Precipitation Ranks, 1895-2017

Record
Driest
(1)

Much
Below
Average

Below
Average

Near
Average

Above
Average

Much
Above
Average

Record
Wettest
(121)

Source: https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/us-maps

In other areas the winter was one of above
average precipitation. Stormy weather in the
northern and western U.S. was especially evident
in the Intermountain West, as well as central and
northern California., resulting in flooding and
related problems.
1

The wet winter reduced overall drought conditions in the U.S. from a 31.5 percent reading
at the end of November of 2016 to 14.1 percent
at the end of February 2017 as measured by the
Drought Monitor. However, not all areas of the
country were equally affected. Below average

http://www.climatecentral.org/news/will-la-nina-follow-one-of-strongest-el-ninos-20223

https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/us-maps https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/us-maps http://www.climatecentral.org/news/will-la-nina-follow-one-of-strongest-el-ninos-20223

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crop Insurance Today June 2018