Map: Winter Kill Risk for US Winter Wheat

Winter wheat crops in parts of the central US could be facing another weather-related challenge next week. 

Already drought-battered crops may be at risk of winter kill as temperatures next week and through the holidays are forecast to fall below normal. Reports suggest overnight lows below zero degrees F will be possible across the central Plains and upper Midwest, and potentially even portions of the southern Plains. 

As can be seen on the map below, many primary winter wheat production areas, especially from Nebraska and southward, are also without a protective layer of snow. However, it is possible that snow may fall in some areas in advance of the coldest weather. 

In its final weekly crop progress report for the 2022 growing season at the end of November, the USDA pegged the nationwide winter wheat crop at just 34% good to excellent, tied with 2012 for a share of the 21st century’s worst condition rating heading into dormancy. Some of the nation’s worst winter wheat condition ratings are in the drought-ravaged states of Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas.