03/07/25 Afternoon CommStock Report – New Weather Threat to Track

Blizzard conditions arrived in parts of the Midwest earlier this week and reminded us that winter is not over yet. Now meteoroligists are also signaling the alarm about a new weather risk that could raise the likelihood of a late season freeze. The sudden stratospheric warming event currently underway is being called out as the strongest of its kind in nearly 75 years. Warming of the stratosphere can break down the polar vortex and push around the jet stream so that it allows cold Artic air to come down into the United States. The aftereffects of sudden stratospheric warming can influence weather for up to a month or more after the initial collapse of the polar vortex. Lingering winter conditions may serve as a threat to developing wheat crops and could be a source of disruption for the early spring planting season.   If not for the sudden stratospheric warming threat, the two-week outlook would otherwise look like the beginning of a normal transition into spring. Warmer temperatures are in the forecast along with calls for wetter than normal conditions that most farmers will welcome. A look at precipitation rankings since January 1st shows how dry the middle of the…