Weather

Dryness increasing in parts of the eastern Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, a cool, dry weather pattern continues. Several Midwestern locations, including Indianapolis, Indiana, and Waterloo, Iowa, have received less than one-tenth of an inch of rain since mid-July. The eastern Corn Belt had abundant moisture reserves when the dry spell began, tempering impacts, but summer crops in drier areas of the upper Midwest have experienced increasing levels of stress. On August 1, more than one-fifth of the corn and soybeans in Minnesota and the Dakotas were rated in very poor to poor condition.

On the Plains, dry weather is promoting summer crop development, except in areas where soil moisture is lacking. On August 1, topsoil moisture was rated 98% very short to short in Montana, along with 91% in North Dakota and 84% in South Dakota. On the same date, North Dakota led the nation—among major production states—in very poor to poor ratings for oats (55%; tied with South Dakota), soybeans (45%), and corn (44%). With harvest underway and rapidly advancing, very poor to poor ratings were noted in Montana for 85% of the spring wheat and 79% of the barley.

In the South, locally heavy thunderstorms dot the Gulf Coast region. Showers and thunderstorms are also occurring in the southern Atlantic States. Meanwhile, a short-term drying trend has developed in the mid-South; during the week ending August 1, topsoil moisture rated very short to short in Arkansas increased from 30 to 42%.

In the West, a lull in monsoon-related activity has brought a return of mostly dry weather across the Desert Southwest. Scattered showers linger, however, in the central and southern Rockies. Elsewhere, dry lightning strikes remain a wildfire threat across the interior Northwest, where dozens of fires are already actively burning. Washington set a state record with USDA/NASS topsoil moisture rated 100% very short to short on August 1; prior to this year, the modern record of 89% had been set on September 10, 2017.