Kansas wheat farmers are reporting yield impacts across a wide range of weather conditions in 2026, including frost, drought, wind, and soaking rains. Near Marquette this past week, yields fell to about 20 bushels per acre, while the highest results were in the mid-30s.
On KSAL Morning News Extra, meteorologist Cara Foster of Weatherology discussed the role that Pacific Ocean conditions may play alongside the recent heavy rains and high winds. Foster noted that NOAA forecasters are paying close attention to changing conditions in the Pacific. NOAA information provided in the segment says El Nino typically peaks during winter months and its global impacts are often most significant in the northern hemisphere winter. In a typical El Nino winter, NOAA says the jet stream over the north Pacific shifts southward, changing the storm track over the southern tier of the U.S., while contributing to drier conditions over parts of the Northern Rockies and the Ohio and Tennessee valleys. NOAA also notes El Nino often leads to warmer-than-usual winter temperatures over the northern U.S.