The U.S. farm weather picture is splitting in two directions this week. Heat is building across the Southern and Central Plains at the same time that wet weather keeps fieldwork slow in the Northwest and northern tier.

Temperatures are climbing fast in Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Highs in the 90s to low 100s degrees F are stressing the winter wheat crop during grain fill. Soil moisture remains short after months of sparse rainfall. The heat is accelerating crop development and cutting yield potential in the driest fields.

The drought monitor shows the worst conditions centered on Kansas, Oklahoma and the Texas Panhandle. Some areas have received less than half of normal rainfall since the start of the year. Crop conditions have slipped week by week in the hardest-hit regions.

The pattern is almost the opposite in the Northwest and the northern Plains. Frequent rain and cool temperatures have slowed spring planting in Minnesota, the Dakotas, Montana and the Pacific Northwest. Fieldwork has fallen behind the normal pace in several states. Saturated soils are delaying small grain seeding and raising concerns about prevented planting in the wettest areas.

The wet weather also brings some benefits. The moisture is rebuilding soil moisture reserves after several dry years in parts of the northern Plains. Pastures and rangeland are greening up where the rain has fallen.

The forecast calls for more of the same. The Plains heat is expected to persist through the next one to two weeks with little meaningful rainfall for the dry areas. The Northwest stays cool and wet as storm systems continue to move through the region.

For markets, the split weather pattern is producing offsetting pressures. Wheat yield concerns in the Southern Plains are supporting prices, while planting delays in the northern Plains and the Midwest are creating uncertainty about final acreage for spring-seeded crops.

Traders are watching the next round of government crop condition reports for confirmation of the damage in the winter wheat belt and the pace of planting progress in the north.