"Drought Areas Shrinking as Snow and Rain Fall"

"Crop-friendly snowfall will be moving from the Northern Plains into the central and eastern Midwest overnight Monday and Tuesday, leaving up to an additional six to eight inches of snow, an agricultural meteorologist said on Monday."



'Most of it will come tomorrow and cover northern Illinois, Indiana and Kentucky eastward,' said Don Keeney, meteorologist for MDA EarthSat Weather.

The melting snow will add valuable moisture to dry corn and soybean areas ahead of spring planting, further shrinking the crop areas affected by last year's drought, the worst in over a half century.

Warmer weather in the drought-stricken Plains hard red winter wheat region is melting the snow that accumulated during two blizzards in late February, Keeney said."

Sam Nelson reports for Reuters March 5, 2013.

SEE ALSO:

"Despite Lingering Drought, USDA Predicts A Flood Of Grain" (The Salt/NPR: 2/22/13)

"Drought-Starved Habitat, Snow Hit Kansas Wildlife Hard" (Wichita Eagle)

"Wheat Prices Slump as Rains Erode US Drought Fears" (AgriMoney.com)

Source: Reuters, 03/05/2013