USDA: Substantial Rains Expected for the Central & Southern Plains

Only light showers are expected for the Midwest.

USDA’s Joint Ag Weather Facility says in in the Corn Belt, a few showers are spreading across the upper Midwest in conjunction with a cold front. “Across the remainder of the Midwest, hot, dry weather is causing renewed stress on pastures and immature summer crops,” USDA adds.

In the West, USDA says an active monsoon circulation continues to result in scattered showers and thunderstorms in the Four Corners states. “Cooler air is starting to overspread the Pacific Northwest, but hot, dry conditions are maintaining the threat of additional wildfire activity from northern California to the northern Rockies,” USDA explains.

On the Plains, USDA says isolated showers dot areas from Nebraska southward. “Meanwhile on the northern Plains, hot, dry weather is promoting late-season small grain harvesting but is causing further deterioration of pastures and rangelands,” USDA explains.

In the South, scattered showers in the southern Atlantic region continue to slow fieldwork but are maintaining generally favorable conditions for pastures and immature summer crops, according to USDA. “Very warm, dry weather covers the remainder of the region, and more rain is still badly needed across the Mid-South (e.g., Arkansas),” USDA adds.

USDA’s outlook says during the next few days, the interaction between the Southwestern monsoon circulation and a pair of cold fronts will generate substantial rainfall (locally 2 to 4 inches) from the central and southern Plains into the middle Mississippi Valley. “However, only light rain can be expected across the remainder of the Plains and the Midwest,” USDA reports. Elsewhere, mostly dry weather will prevail in California and the Northwest, while much of the nation will continue to experience near- to above-normal temperatures, USDA reports. By early next week, Tropical Storm or Hurricane Isaac will be in the vicinity of Florida, posing a possible threat to the southeastern U.S. due to high winds, flooding rainfall, and a storm surge, according to USDA.


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