Across the Corn Belt, a band of showers stretches from Michigan to Missouri. The rain is moving into an area—mainly across the southern and eastern Corn Belt—that has become dry in recent weeks.

In the South, dry weather and late-season heat favors summer crop maturation and fieldwork, including corn, rice, and soybean harvesting. Hurricane Earl is centered less than 800 miles south-southeast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, moving toward the northwest around 16 mph.

In the West, cool weather across the northern half of the region contrasts with late-season warmth in California and the Southwest. In California, warmth has allowed crops such as cotton and rice to nearly catch up to their normal development pace.

Meanwhile, a cold front will spark showers from the Great Lakes States to Texas.

During the weekend, cool air trailing the front will provide temporary relief from late-season heat in the Midwest and Northeast.

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for near- to above-normal temperatures nationwide, except for cooler-than-normal conditions in California and the Northwest. Meanwhile, below-normal rainfall in the majority of the U.S. will contrast with wetter-than-normal conditions across the nation’s northern tier as far east as the Great Lakes region.

Across the Corn Belt, very warm, mostly dry weather remains nearly ideal for maturing corn and soybeans. A few light rain showers are developing in the lower Ohio Valley and the upper Midwest.

In the South, very warm, dry weather from the Delta westward favors harvest activities for crops such as corn, rice, and soybeans. Farther east, scattered showers are spreading northward from Florida across the interior Southeast.

In the West, scattered showers dot the Rockies and the Pacific Northwest. In California and the Desert Southwest, cool but dry weather favors fieldwork.

On Thursday and Friday, Earl will pass very close to, or just east of, the middle and northern Atlantic Coast of the U.S.

Elsewhere, rainfall associated with the cold front could reach 1 to 3 inches, with locally higher totals, across the Plains and Midwest.

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for near- to below-normal temperatures nationwide, except for warmer-than-normal weather in the Southeast. Meanwhile, near- to below-normal rainfall across the majority of the U.S. will contrast with wetter-than-normal conditions in the central Gulf Coast region and upper Great Lakes States.

Heavy rain for parts of southeast Louisiana and the north-central Gulf of Mexico Aug. 30-31.

Ongoing river flooding for a small portion of the middle Mississippi Valley.

Severe drought for southern Oregon, northern Arizona, portions of the upper Midwest, the lower Mississippi Valley and the mid-Atlantic region. Some relief is possible over the upper Midwest and northeast Arizona.

Weather Hazard Outlook Map

The warmest July on record was in 1936 at 83.1 degrees, 5.4 degrees warmer than this year. By contrast, last July was the coldest on record at 70.2 degrees, 7.5 degrees cooler than this year. Statewide records extend back to 1895.

The average rainfall for July in Illinois was 5.6 inches, 1.8 inches above normal, ranking as the 13th wettest July on record. The wettest July was in 1958 with 8.03 inches.

The largest rainfall totals occurred in western and far northern Illinois as well as central Illinois along Interstate 70. Rainfall amounts of 8 to 12 inches were common in these areas. Elizabeth and Freeport reported the largest monthly totals in the state with 14.12 and 13.46 inches, respectively.

Southern Illinois was much drier in July with amounts of only 1 to 3 inches in many locations. In fact, the U.S. Drought Monitor categorized southern Illinois as being “abnormally dry” based on dry conditions in both June and July. While wet in June, the area approximately bound by Moline, Kankakee, Danville, Springfield, and Peoria was dry in July.

Illinois State Water Survey

Over the weekend there were a few reports of severe weather. In Montana on Saturday, micro burst winds estimated up to 85 mph caused significant roof damage to several hotels and homes in West Yellowstone Montana (Western Gateway to Yellowstone National Park). In Boulder City, Nevada, on Friday, the National Park Service reported thunderstorm winds caused at least 300,000 dollars in damages to floating docks at the Las Vegas Boat Harbor and a nearby government dock in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area. A fuel dock was also pulled apart at the harbor. At least 2 private boats were also damaged. On Friday, one injury was reported in Georgia when a tree fell on a vehicle.

Current Severe Weather Watches
Weather Alerts
River Flooding Outlook

Across the Corn Belt, wet weather is returning to the upper Midwest, where flash flooding is a concern. Across the remainder of the region, warm conditions are pushing summer crops toward maturity.

In the South, the remnants of Tropical Depression Five have moved east of the Carolinas, but a few showers and thunderstorms linger across the region. Otherwise, hot, mostly dry weather favors summer crop maturation and fieldwork, such as corn harvesting.

In the West, cool weather is confined to the immediate Pacific Coast. Elsewhere, very warm, dry weather favors crop development and fieldwork, including Northwestern small grain harvesting.

Elsewhere, weekend highs may exceed 100 degrees as far north as the Dakotas, but extreme heat will not affect the Corn Belt.

Meanwhile, showers and thunderstorms will spread from the Midwest into the East. By early next week, a new batch of showers will develop from the upper Midwest into the Southwest.

Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for near- to above-normal temperatures nationwide, except for cooler-than-normal conditions in the Northwest and along the immediate Pacific Coast. Meanwhile, near- to above-normal rainfall across much of the U.S. will contrast with drier-than-normal conditions from the Tennessee Valley into the Northeast.

Heat Advisories extend across eastern Texas and Oklahoma, much of Louisiana, Arkansas, southwest Missouri, and southeast Kansas.

Heat Advisories are also in effect along coastal Georgia and South Carolina from Savannah to Charleston.