Corn Earworm
Corn earworm migration possibilities continue especially across the central and southern corn-growing region in the next week. A series of primarily weak weather disturbances are predicted to move across the Plains into the central and southern Midwest through the middle of next week, and weak to perhaps occasionally moderate southerly flow in advance of these features may result in isolated first generation corn earworm moth flights into fields especially along and south of I-80. The risk area tonight into Saturday morning is focused mainly across Kansas, far southern Nebraska, southern Iowa, and Missouri as low pressure develops in the Plains. The risk spreads east into the lower Ohio and Wabash River valleys on Saturday night into Sunday morning, but the overall southerly wind flow is expected to decrease by that time. Some uncertainty in the weather pattern is in place next week, but we could see an upper level low pressure push across Kansas into the southern Midwest early-mid next week, and this may result in some weak southerly flow originating in active corn earworm source regions across the mid-Mississippi River valley that may result in isolated moth flights into the southern Midwest at that time. The overall weather pattern is not supportive of widespread, heavy moth flights at this time, but growers should continue to monitor traps to have a better idea of what the first generation moth flight is doing this year so preparations can be made for the second generation flight later in the growing season.