Weather

Dryness issues expanding across the Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, dry weather accompanies a gradual warming trend. Still, Wednesday’s high temperatures will remain below 90° throughout the Midwest, favoring reproductive to filling summer crops. Limited moisture reserves remain a concern for upper Midwestern corn and soybeans; on August 1, statewide topsoil moisture was rated at least one-half very short to short in North Dakota (91%), South Dakota (84%), Minnesota (81%), and Iowa (50%).

On the Plains, a band of scattered showers extends southward from the western Dakotas. The rain, while highly beneficial, is providing only limited relief in drought-affected areas. On August 1, Montana led the nation (tied with Washington) with rangeland and pastures rated 96% very poor to poor, followed by South Dakota (84%). Farther south, a short-term drying trend is underway across the central and southern Plains, amid a hotter, drier regime. In Kansas, topsoil moisture rated very short to short increased from 34 to 44% during the week ending August 1.

In the South, most areas are experiencing dry weather and near- or below-normal temperatures. Early Wednesday, rain is confined to portions of the southern Atlantic region and areas along the Gulf Coast. Producers in the mid-South and environs are monitoring the impacts of short-term dryness, following a protracted wet spell. Nevertheless, pastures were rated at least one-half good to excellent on August 1 in all Southern States except Virginia and North Carolina.

In the West, monsoon-related rainfall has waned, although isolated showers linger across the southern Rockies. Hot weather accompanies the dryness, with Wednesday’s high temperatures expected to top 110°F in many Southwestern desert locations and approach 100°F as far north as southeastern Washington. Meanwhile, an elevated wildfire threat exists in parts of northern California and the Northwest, where dozens of fires are already burning.