This article was originally published at 3:04 p.m. CDT on Monday, April 20. It was last updated with additional information at 3:46 p.m. CDT on Monday, April 20.

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OMAHA (DTN) -- The winter wheat crop's good-to-excellent condition rating continued to decline last week, falling 4 percentage points nationwide amid building drought, limited rainfall, frosts and freezes, according to USDA NASS's weekly Crop Progress report released on Monday.

A familiar weather pattern is setting up again this week, with another round of showers and thunderstorms expected along a front stretching from Texas to the Great Lakes, while colder air and even some snow will push through the Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies, according to DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick.

CORN

-- Planting progress: 11% of corn was planted nationwide as of Sunday, equal to last year and ahead of the five-year average of 9%. Tennessee was the furthest ahead of average at 64% complete as of Sunday, 40 points ahead of its average pace of 24%. That was followed by Kentucky at 48%, 30 points ahead of the average pace of 18%. Illinois and Indiana were both ahead of their averages at 13% and 14% planted, respectively.

-- Crop development: 4% of corn had emerged as of Sunday, 2 points ahead of last year and the five-year average of 2%.

SOYBEANS

-- Planting progress: An estimated 12% of intended soybean acreage was planted as of Sunday, 5 points ahead of last year at this time and 7 points ahead of the five-year average of 7%. Illinois' soybeans are 20% planted, 11 points ahead of last year and 13 points ahead of the five-year average of 7%. Indiana was also ahead of average at 19% planted, 16 points ahead of last year's pace and the five-year average.

WINTER WHEAT

-- Crop condition: An estimated 33% of winter wheat was rated poor to very poor as of April 19, up 12 percentage points from 21% a year ago, according to NASS.

-- Crop development: 20% of winter wheat was headed nationwide as of Sunday. That's 6 percentage points ahead of last year's 14% and 8 percentage points ahead of the five-year average of 12%. Top winter-wheat-producer Kansas' crop was 15% headed, 10 points ahead of last year at this time and 13 points ahead of the five-year average.

SPRING WHEAT

-- Planting progress: 12% of the crop was planted nationwide as of April 19, 4 percentage points behind last year's pace of 16% but equal to the five-year average. Washington was the furthest ahead of the average at 65% planted as of Sunday, 12 points ahead of its average pace of 53%.

-- Crop development: 2% of spring wheat was emerged as of Sunday, equal to last year and the five-year average.

THE WEEK AHEAD IN WEATHER

Another round of active weather is on the way this week, bringing showers and thunderstorms from central and eastern Texas into the Great Lakes, while colder temperatures and even some snowfall return to northern areas, according to DTN Ag Meteorologist John Baranick.

"The same corridor that has been getting the rainfall, from central and eastern Texas up through the Great Lakes looks like it will get another round of showers and thunderstorms along a front passing through on Thursday into Friday," Baranick said. "These areas may have had some damage due to severe weather over the last week and could get some more later this week as well. The main system pushing that cold front will move through the Northern Plains and Canadian Prairies with a mix of rain and snow. Some areas in Montana, the Dakotas, but especially the Canadian Prairies could see some heavy snowfall. That will continue to support colder temperatures across the north moving back in later this week and possibly spreading through the Plains and into the Upper Midwest as well.

"Hard red winter wheat took a beating from frosts and freezes this weekend, adding to the stress from the building drought and limited rainfall over the last several months. This week, it looks like most of those areas will be bypassed again. If there is any good news, there is at least a chance for precipitation to move in with a system on Sunday. The current track has the system moving through the Central Plains with good precipitation on the north side of it in Nebraska. The Texas and Oklahoma Panhandles are not currently expected to see much precipitation, though. That system will bring down some of the cold air from the north and could mean another round of frosts, further hurting wheat.

"In the Delta and Southeast, a front that went through this past weekend brought some waning showers, but many areas in Georgia, South Carolina, and Florida missed out completely. Drier conditions this week will again be concerning for the building drought for cotton, peanuts, and other crops. The front that moves through the Corn Belt later this week will move through the region and may have a tendency to stall. We could see some pockets of heavier rain, but it's not guaranteed. Overall, the prospects are still looking poor in this part of the country."

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To view weekly crop progress reports issued by National Ag Statistics Service offices in individual states, visit http://www.nass.usda.gov/…. Look for the U.S. map in the "Find Data and Reports by" section and choose the state you wish to view in the drop-down menu. Then look for that state's "Crop Progress & Condition" report.

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Editor's Note: How are your crops looking? Are they better, worse or right on track with USDA NASS' observations this week? Send us your comments, and we'll include them in next week's Crop Progress report story. You can email comments to talk@dtn.com. Please include the location of where you farm.

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National Crop Progress Summary
	This	Last	Last	5-Year
	Week	Week	Year	Avg.
Corn Planted	11	5	11	9
Corn Emerged	4	NA	2	2
Soybeans Planted	12	6	7	5
Winter Wheat Headed	20	11	14	12
Spring Wheat Planted	12	6	16	12
Spring Wheat Emerged	2	NA	2	2
Cotton Planted	11	7	10	10
Sorghum Planted	15	13	17	16
Oats Planted	44	36	51	45
Oats Emerged	27	24	30	30
Barley Planted	24	13	24	20
Barley Emerged	6	NA	3	2
Rice Planted	56	42	46	40
Rice Emerged	34	23	27	22
Sugarbeets Planted	12	9	20	18
Peanuts Planted	4	1	3	2

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National Crop Condition Summary
(VP=Very Poor; P=Poor; F=Fair; G=Good; E=Excellent)
	This Week						Last Week						Last Year
	VP	P	F	G	E		VP	P	F	G	E		VP	P	F	G	E
Winter Wheat	12	21	37	25	5		12	20	34	29	5		6	15	34	38	7

EllaMae Reiff can be reached at ellamae.reiff@dtn.com

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