An atmospheric scientist says a wide range of commodities are at risk from the most recent winter storm. Matt Makens tells Brownfield Ag News that arctic air and a system in the Pacific converged.
“The magnitude of the amount of water we had and the magnitude of the cold air that we had, where they collided, was a tremendous focal point for wet weather, the variety of rain, sleet, freezing rain, and snow,” Makens explains.
He says wind chills in parts of the Northern Plains and Midwest reached 50 degrees below zero, and the conditions for many parts of the South were beyond extreme.
“It’s going to be so devastating because these are treed areas, largely, or if it’s wheat, stalk breakage, all that stuff,” he says.
Makens says the band of ice stretching from northern Texas and Oklahoma to Washington, D.C., has caused widespread destruction.
“These things reverberated for several days because of the cold, lingering after the precip had fallen,” he shares. “The infrastructure side of the supply chain saw major disruptions across the South and the Southeast for product movement.”
While the storm eventually waned after the weekend in some areas, Makens warns most of the Corn Belt and Great Lakes are likely to see more waves of winter extremes and cold temperatures for several more weeks.
EDITOR’S TAKE:
Storms of this nature and magnitude are never good news for fruit crops or winter wheat. In addition, they can be devastating to any livestock exposed to the weather for extended periods of time. At a minimum, the animals will spend all their energy simply trying to stay warm and could possibly even lose weight. Downed power lines and disruptions to trucking operations are especially devastating for dairy farmers and grocery deliveries. The financial cost could be in the billions.
Although the storm impacted millions of people, you can bet that farmers and ranchers who are looking to purchase or lease a new truck or SUV in the near future were checking out AgTruckTrader.com®. If you’re not on AgTT currently, do so today. Otherwise, make sure your inventory is up to date. Be ready for those farm/ranch customers when they show up at your dealership.
