Weather

Near-seasonal, late-summer pattern across the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, mostly dry weather prevails, allowing corn and soybeans to move closer to maturity.  On August 21, nearly one-third (31%) of the U.S. corn had dented, compared to the 5-year average of 35%, while 4% of the crop was fully mature.  Friday’s Midwestern high temperatures will remain mostly below 80°F in the upper Great Lakes region— but should reach 90°F or higher in much of Nebraska and parts of Missouri.

On the Plains, spotty rain is confined to Montana and the Dakotas, where small-grain harvesting continues between showers.  Meanwhile on the central and southern Plains, warm, dry weather is promoting summer crop maturation.  Friday’s high temperatures will top 95°F as far north as Kansas.  Portions of the central Plains did not receive the recent rain that fell farther south; on August 21, topsoil moisture was rated more than three-quarters very short to short in Kansas (77%) and Nebraska (79%).

In the South, lingering showers are mostly limited to the southern Atlantic region and areas along and near the Gulf Coast.  Although the flood threat has diminished, locally heavy showers could still spark rapid water rises from eastern Louisiana to western Florida, especially in areas where soils are already saturated.  In Jackson, Mississippi, where August 22-25 rainfall totaled 10.43 inches, the Pearl River is currently more than 5 feet above flood stage and rising.

In the West, the interaction between the Southwestern monsoon circulation and a Northern disturbance is generating a broken band of showers extending northeastward from the Four Corners States.  Meanwhile, a hot, dry pattern persists across much of California, the Great Basin, and the Northwest.  Although Northwestern heat is favorable for small grain maturation and harvesting, a boost in soil moisture will soon be needed for fall-sown crops.