Weather

Rains on the central Plains, lingering in the Ohio Valley

Across the Corn Belt, rain is falling in the Ohio Valley and from Michigan to Nebraska. On June 16, topsoil moisture was at least 30% surplus in all Midwestern States east of the Mississippi River, led by Ohio (71% surplus). U.S. corn and soybean emergence—79 and 55%, respectively—remains at a record-slow pace over the past two decades. Previous records for June 16, both set in 2013, were 92% for corn and 66% for soybeans.

On the Plains, numerous showers and thunderstorms are occurring from Nebraska to Texas. Pockets of excessive soil moisture (25% surplus on June 16 in Oklahoma, South Dakota, and Texas) contrast with developing drought along and near the Canadian border.

In the South, showers and thunderstorms stretch from the Tennessee Valley to the central Gulf Coast. A few showers also dot Florida’s peninsula. The showery, humid weather is slowing fieldwork, but summer crops are growing rapidly amid very warm conditions.

In the West, isolated showers are mostly confined to the central Rockies, where cool weather prevails. Elsewhere, including California’s Central Valley, warm, dry weather favors fieldwork and crop development. Several wildfires, including the 38,000-acre Woodbury Fire in Arizona, continue to burn in the Southwest.