According to the Weather and Crop Bulletin report of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), category 4 Hurricane Ian slammed into Florida’s Gulf Coast near Fort Myers on the afternoon September 28, packing sustained winds near 150 mph and unleashing a ferocious storm surge from near the point of landfall, southward through Naples. Catastrophic damage due to storm surge and wind occurred in coastal communities, especially near the point of landfall on Cayo Costa Island.
Hurricane-force winds (74 mph or greater) extended well inland, covering roughly two-thirds of Florida’s citrus production areas and causing damage in orchards due to uprooted trees, lost branches, and fallen fruit. Sugarcane, grown mostly near Lake Okeechobee, was farther from Ian’s path and fared better, although some planting delays had been reported due to wetness, even before the hurricane’s arrival.
Rain lingered through the end of the week in the mid- Atlantic and central Appalachians, even after Ian dissipated, with producers monitoring potential impacts on open-boll cotton and other unharvested summer crops.
Across much of the remainder of the country, dry weather favored summer crop maturation and harvesting, as well as winter wheat planting. Exceptions included the Great Lakes region, where cool, showery weather prevailed, and portions of the Rockies, Northwest, and northern High Plains, which received late-week showers.
Still, many key winter wheat production areas lacked soil moisture for winter wheat germination and establishment.
Weekly temperatures averaged at least 5 to 10°F above normal in many locations from the Pacific Coast to the High Plains. In contrast, readings generally averaged 5 to 10°F below normal from the Mississippi Valley eastward, except in southern Florida and the Northeast.
For the full USDA report for Oct. 4, click here.