Weather

A brief spell of tranquil weather for the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, widely scattered showers are confined to areas east of the Mississippi River, while temperatures have rebounded to near-normal levels. During this brief period of mild, mostly dry weather, producers are attempting to plant summer crops as field conditions permit. Meanwhile, the Mississippi River at St. Louis is still rising, expected to crest early next week at the second-highest level on record behind 1993.

On the Plains, showers and thunderstorms are primarily confined to parts of Texas. Elsewhere, mild, dry weather favors fieldwork and crop development, except in areas where lowland flooding and saturated soils remain a problem. Major flooding continues in the Arkansas River basin, as well as parts of South Dakota.

In the South, isolated showers in the southern Atlantic States are providing local relief from short-term dryness and drought. Warm, dry weather covers the remainder of the region. Producers in Louisiana’s Atchafalaya Basin are preparing for the opening of the Morganza Spillway, currently expected on June 6. The spillway, previously opened only in 1973 and 2011, is utilized to ease pressure on lower Mississippi River levees.

In the West, showers dot the Great Basin and the northern Intermountain West. Warmth prevails in the Northwest, but cool weather continues to slow crop development from California into the Four Corners States.