USDA’s Joint Ag Weather Facility says in the Corn Belt, generally cool, dry weather is benefiting reproductive summer crops. “However, a few rain showers are returning to the far upper Midwest,” USDA continues.
In the West, USDA reports monsoon-related showers continue to expand from the Four Corners States, reaching into the Great Basin and northern Intermountain region. “However, hot, mostly dry conditions prevail in the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies, perpetuating an elevated risk of new wildfires,” USDA details.
On the Plains, USDA says cooler air is starting to overspread Montana and the Dakotas, accompanied by isolated showers. “On July 23, the Dakotas topped the U.S. in rangeland and pastures rated very poor to poor—75% in North Dakota and 73% in South Dakota—while Montana led with topsoil moisture 92% very short to short,” it details. Farther south, ongoing hot, dry weather on the central and southern Plains is maintaining stress on rain-fed crops, USDA continues.
In the South, scattered showers linger from the lower Mississippi Valley eastward, USDA reports. “Although many crops and pastures have enough moisture for normal development, topsoil moisture rated very short to short (on July 23) has increased to 61% in Arkansas, 59% in Virginia, and 44% in Mississippi,” USDA details.
Following the passage of a cold front, USDA says cooler weather in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern states will replace an extended period of heat. “Meanwhile, another cold front will produce showers in the upper Midwest and neighboring areas, resulting in limited drought relief in parts of Montana and the Dakotas,” USDA continues. Five-day rainfall totals could reach 1 to 3 inches across the eastern half of the U.S., with somewhat lower amounts expected across the Plains, it details. “Elsewhere, monsoon-related showers in the Southwest and environs will contrast with hot, mostly dry weather in California and the Pacific Northwest,” USDA reports.
