Corn Belt Set to Face First Snow of Season

Parts of the Midwest will likely receive enough snowfall to shovel or plow this week.
Parts of the Midwest will likely receive enough snowfall to shovel or plow this week.

According to a report released by AccuWeather on Nov. 19, areas of the Midwest will see their first snowfall by the end of the week. Cities, including Chicago and Milwaukee, are expected to receive a significant coating. Fort Dodge, Ia. and Saginaw, Mi., will likely have enough snow to shovel.

"In the Midwest, the most likely area for a few inches of snow to fall is from central Iowa to northern Illinois, southern Wisconsin and into part of central Lower Michigan,” said AccuWeather Senior Meteorologist Brian Wimer.

Light snowfall will hit southern Iowa, and it could eventually head to Detroit, where it would bring heavy snow. Initially, the storm will begin as rain in areas of the Midwest.

"Where it snows at night or snows hard during the day will be the places that have the most problems on the roads in terms of slippery travel," Wimer continued.

The storm’s impact on crop production should be minimal, as the corn harvest is approximately 96 percent complete as of Nov. 15, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture. This is ahead of the 94 percent five-year average, as well as the 88 percent that was recorded around this time last year. Approximately 94 percent of winter wheat has been planted.

Illinois corn has been 100 percent harvested, and Indiana is totaling around 99 percent. Iowa also has 96 percent of its corn harvest completed, which is ahead of the 91 percent total recorded last year.