Weather
A change in weather ahead
On the Plains, isolated thunderstorms in advance of a cold front are heaviest in Nebraska. Across much of the region, late-summer warmth is promoting fieldwork and summer crop maturation. However, much cooler air is arriving across Montana.
Across the Corn Belt, warm, mostly dry weather favors summer crop maturation. Forty percent of the U.S. corn had dented by August 21, compared to the 5-year average of 35%. Progress was more than 10 percentage points ahead of the respective 5-year averages in Iowa (45% dented), Indiana (44%), and Wisconsin (25%).
In the South, mostly dry weather prevails, but lingering flood impacts continue to affect a variety of crops. In Texas and Louisiana, the rice harvest remains nearly stalled—70 and 60% complete, respectively. The portion of Louisiana’s rice rated in very poor to poor condition climbed to 17% on August 21, up from 5% just 2 weeks ago. During the same period, Arkansas rice rated very poor to poor rose from 11 to 19%. Meanwhile, only 53% of Louisiana’s sugarcane was rated good to excellent on August 21, down from 81% on August 7.
In the West, dry, breezy conditions are maintaining an elevated threat of wildfires in the northern Great Basin and northern Intermountain region. In contrast, monsoon-related showers continue in the Southwest.
Forecast High Temperatures (National)
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