News

Drought likely to continue in Western Corn Belt

An ag meteorologist says there is excess rainfall in the forecast for the Upper Midwest and Great Lakes regions in the coming days while there’s some drought relief for parts of the Northern Great Plains and Western Corn Belt.

“The drought continues on severe and exceptional.  But would you believe there might be some localized improvement?  The potential for some of that monsoon moisture to arch it’s way along the divide, pick up with strength and energy from the jet stream and actually begin here in the coming weeks over parts of Montana, parts of the western and central Dakotas.”  Brownfield’s Greg Soulje says those weather patterns are likely to cause some severe storms in the West while the Eastern Corn Belt is expected to see more moderate weather for the remainder of this growing season.

Soulje says drought conditions are likely to increase closer to harvest, “Late summer there are indications across just about the entire Corn Belt, worsening drought in the Western Corn Belt because of ongoing dryness and heat there, and some tendency to build a warmer to hotter and drier set up over the eastern section.”

He says that will also mean crops mature and dry down quicker for harvest.

AUDIO: Brownfield’s Julie Harker interview with Greg Soulje