News

Dry weather likely to stay for a while

Meteorologist Greg Soulje says the dry spell isn’t over yet for most of the corn belt, but he’s seeing some relief later in June. “I think with pretty good confidence here, we’re going to begin to see a pattern shift into the Eastern Corn belt locales where at least the rains do return, they’re spotty and they’ll be scattered. You may not necessarily like it or get missed, but at least the month of June does look a little more favorable.”

 Soulje says the cool air to the north and warm air to the south won’t be quite as dominant, so disturbances will be able to develop and bring some rain eventually.  “The thinking is, as we get deeper into the month of June, there’ll be dryness relief in particular for the Eastern Corn Belt. You know some of it through Wisconsin to Michigan, but partially dominant for the mid-Mississippi Valley and points on eastern and through Indiana and Ohio.”

 Soulje says there’s one area in southern Minnesota that has received more than enough rain.  “Rainfall totals as we get ready to close the books for the month of May 6 to 12 inches in that area from about the twins back to Redwood Falls and back SE towards Albert Lee Austin, just to name a few. Rochester as well except for that area you know everyone else is getting dry.”

But ahead, he’s not expecting the I-35 corridor to get the moisture needed for crops.  “Twin Cities, more so, Des Moines, West of the line and I’m not real excited about rainfall for the month of June, should be nominal east towards the Mississippi.”

Soulje is expecting dry conditions to continue for the eastern corn belt.

Abnormally dry, at least based on last week’s drop. Monitor through a wide area of central Illinois, parts of Indiana’s a couple of areas. In Michigan and. But I would be surprised if we see maybe an expansion of that here when we get to the drop monitor here later this week.

Soulje says with the current El Nino weather patterns, most areas will have to wait a while before getting significant rainfall. “We may be looking at probably sometime beyond the 10th, 12th of June to get something into those northern corn belt areas. Prior to that, we’ll see it in 30 to 50% coverage. Eastern areas of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio.

 Soulje says later this summer, more rain is likely in the eastern corn belt and less likely in the west.  “In July and August in mind, I think there will be a propensity for some wetter than average conditions. Ohio Valley, maybe I 57. OK, as you get. To the Mississippi Valley and increasing dryness in Toronto, as we talked about in the Western Corn Belt and back into the plain states areas.”

Soulje says the delta region had a very dry winter followed by some severe weather systems, but most of the delta is okay on precipitation for now.  “We get into the lowermost area parts of the delta a little drier than average. Most of Louisiana, Mississippi, Arkansas, and Western Tennessee in good shape because of some timely rains.”

Soulje says the lack of rain is causing problems in the southwest winter wheat belt in Texas and Oklahoma, and the Sierra snowpack is half-melted and helping some California farmers.  He says far western Florida is also experiencing exceptional drought conditions but has missed much of the state’s citrus growers.