Mar 16, 2020Potato planting weather forecast looks favorable for most U.S. regions
Planting season is not far away for the major potato-producing states in the northern U.S.
The National Weather Service’s 90-day extended forecast — which includes March, April and May — calls for average levels of precipitation for Idaho, Washington, most of Oregon and the Red River Valley, but a little above normal in Great Lakes and Northeast regions. The NWS predicts the Klamath Valley is in for a drier-than-normal spring.
Temperature-wise, the NWS’s outlook figures most of the U.S. has at least a 40% chance of an above-average spring, including Southern Idaho and the Klamath Valley.
Farms in early-planting regions in Virginia and North Carolina started putting seed in the ground the week of March 9-13.
In 2019, a wet spring, particularly in the Pacific Northwest, led to many farms having to delay planting days and, in some areas in Washington, nearly a month.
Top graphics: National Weather Service
