USDA’s Joint Ag Weather Facility says in the Corn Belt, showers and thunderstorms are developing in conjunction with a strong cold front. In the last week, Midwestern soil moisture and growing conditions have generally improved, well in advance of corn and soybean reproduction, USDA reports. “During the week ending June 18, topsoil moisture rated very short to short declined at least 10 percentage points in eight of eleven Midwestern states—all but Nebraska, Ohio and South Dakota,” it continues.
In the West, USDA says the ongoing heat wave appears to have peaked, but very hot conditions persist in California and the Southwest. “Two days ago, on June 20, all-time record-high temperatures were tied in locations such as Needles, California (125°F), and Las Vegas, Nevada (117°F),” USDA elaborates.
On the Plains, USDA reports cooler air is overspreading Montana and the Dakotas, preceded and accompanied by showers and thunderstorms. “Recent rains on the northern Plains have bypassed some areas but have stabilized crop conditions in others—including the eastern Dakotas. Meanwhile on the southern High Plains, hot weather continues to reduce topsoil moisture, boost irrigation demands, and increase stress on rain-fed crops,” according to USDA.
In the South, Cindy moved inland early today as a minimal tropical storm near the Texas-Louisiana border. “The main threat from Cindy remains locally heavy downpours, with secondary concerns about high water levels along the central Gulf Coast,” USDA explains. During Cindy’s approach, it reports rainfall has already totaled 10 inches or more in several locations along and near the Gulf Coast from southern Mississippi to the panhandle of Florida
In its five-day outlook, USDA says as the remnants of Cindy move farther inland, flooding will remain a concern. Additional rainfall could reach 3 to 6 inches from the Gulf Coast northward into the Tennessee Valley and the central Appalachians, it details, adding that higher totals may occur along the central Gulf Coast. “Meanwhile, scattered showers and thunderstorms will cross the Midwest and East, followed by another surge of cool, dry air during the weekend,” USDA reports. In fact, below-normal temperatures will dominate areas from the Plains to the East Coast, starting late this week, it continues.
