El Niño to Bring Heat, Storms to U.S. Crops Over Next 6 Months

El Niño is officially in the U.S., according to the Climate Prediction Center. The weather change usually brings warmer, drier conditions with the potential for active storm tracks. El Niño is expected to last around six months. The trends it brings could further impact already drought-stressed U.S. crops.

USDA Meteorologist Mark Brusberg says the most considerable ripple effect may be the fact that La Niña brought drought to Argentina and parts of Brazil, hampering their crop production. So after three years of drought, a South American bumper crop after years of drought will change the global crop market. Whether U.S. farmers weather the storms or the continued dryness the El Niño weather pattern will bring, the potential global weather shake-up will impact global food supplies and crop prices everywhere.

Read more on El Niño and what it means for U.S. producers here.