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Meteorologist says drought relief still weeks away

An ag meteorologist says cattle producers who have been battling drought stress won’t see any relief anytime soon.

Matt Makens says the chance for significant rain events in parts of Iowa, Missouri, and northern Illinois looks bleak.  “What we’re seeing is that August doesn’t look very good,” he says.  “But once we hit later fall we may start to see the moisture pattern across the soul of the country.”

He tells Brownfield that doesn’t mean there isn’t any rain in the forecast for states like Missouri.  “You’re probably looking at maybe an inch overall for Missouri,” he says.  “That’s not a lot of water over a two-week span this time of year with the hotter temperatures and things dry out so much faster.”

Makens says because El Niño is coming in later in the season, there won’t be huge impacts.  “Until you get to late fall, winter, and spring,” he says.  “That’s usually when we’re going to get our water.”

Because the rains in the near-term forecast aren’t frequent, he says the timing will be critical.

AUDIO: Matt Makens, Ag Meteorologist