Crop Insurance Today Second Quarter 2020 - 6

Spring 2019 (Mar-May): Statewide Precipitation and Temperature Ranks 1895-2019

Fig. 2

Statewide Precipitation Ranks

Statewide Average Temperature Ranks

Period: 1895-2019

Period: 1895-2019

March-May 2019

March-May 2019

13
67

106

89

94
115
124

100

117

122

98

110

115

113
92

122 116

125

119

65

63

62

112
97

Much
Below
Average

Below
Average

Near
Average

33

29
30

79

25

9

33
63

80

52

43

32

Above
Average

Much
Above
Average

Record
Wettest
(125)

112

118

118
78

72

116

95

National Centers for
Environmental
Information
Mon Jun 4, 2019

116

Record
Coldest
(1)

Much
Below
Average

Below
Average

45
45
82
84
80
112
119
118

119

90
56

50

National Centers for
Environmental
Information
Mon Jun 4, 2019

105
88

60

88

24

43

40

56

39

79

60

28

16

66

68

35

Record
Driest
(1)

29
90

25

102

110

112
85
83
101
98
109
88
88

42

62

122

90

98

116

123
124

89

95

42

Near
Average

Above
Average

Much
Above
Average

Record
Warmest
(125)

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

totals surpassed the previous record of 1997-98.
Above-average precipitation was observed across
all but five of the Lower 48 states (Figure 1). Tennessee ranked wettest, while Wisconsin ranked
second wettest. Nineteen states, from the Great
Plains to the East Coast and south to the Gulf of
Mexico, ranked in the top 10 wettest on record
for winter and there were no states that ranked
below-average for winter precipitation. While
the heavy rain was widely dispersed, severe flash
flooding did occur in parts of California and significant river flooding occurred in portions of
Fig. 3

the mid-South and lower Midwest. The record
winter precipitation set the stage for what was to
become a troubled planting season.
The statistics on winter temperatures mask
the fact that there were areas that experienced severe cold conditions, particularly the
northern Plains and Midwest (Figure 2). The
cold weather allowed for heavy snow events
throughout the winter with the snows contributing to flooding in the western Corn Belt. The
same conditions in the Northwest, in the early
part of February, resulted in additional stress

Summer 2019 (Jun-Aug): Statewide Precipitation and Temperature Ranks 1895-2019
Statewide Precipitation Ranks

Statewide Average Temperature Ranks

Period: 1895-2019

Period: 1895-2019

June-August 2019

June-August 2019

35
79
21

81

121

53
8

9
1

33

81
105
93

10

87

56

110

37

116

12

114

88

114

59
120

81

113

Below
Average

Near
Average

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

SECONDQUARTER2020

67
101

111

Above
Average

90

69

46

101

120

73
46

Much
Above
Average

Record
Wettest
(125)

101

53

96

78

55

98
77

50
92

110

104
77

88

109

121

Record
Coldest
(1)

Much
Below
Average

Below
Average

Near
Average

98
101
116
118
117
121
121
118

109

80

105

National Centers for
Environmental
Information
Wed Sep 4, 2019

94

83

58

44
100

114

57
114 58

77
78

91

93

56

55

96

Much
Below
Average

80
83
92
97
67
88
67
71

64

117

95

50

Record
Driest
(1)

104

90

96
60

29

6

and an increase in livestock mortality.
On a positive note, it was the second time in
three years that widespread winter precipitation
resulted in significant reductions in drought conditions. The measure of national drought coverage fell from 23 percent to 12 percent, with reductions in the Western states from 55 percent to
25 percent and, by the end of winter, there was no
drought east of the Mississippi River.
Spring 2019: The most significant weather
event in the spring of 2019 was the continued
widespread precipitation, which resulted in ex-

Above
Average

Much
Above
Average

National Centers for
Environmental
Information
Wed Sep 4, 2019

Record
Warmest
(125)
https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/us-maps https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/temp-and-precip/us-maps
Crop Insurance Today Second Quarter 2020

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Crop Insurance Today Second Quarter 2020
