Weather

“Cool,” somewhat drier weather begins to settle into the upper Midwest, western Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, a cold front is sparking showers and thunderstorms from the upper Great Lakes region into the lower Ohio Valley.  Another round of cool weather trails the front, with Friday’s high temperatures expected to remain below 80°F in the upper Midwest.  Meanwhile, warm, humid weather in the lower Midwest favors corn and soybean development, except in areas where soil moisture shortages exist.

On the Plains, below-normal temperatures prevail, except across the southern half of Texas.  In fact, Friday’s high temperatures will remain below 80°F throughout the northern Plains, where recent crop growth has been slowed by cool, showery conditions.  Currently, mostly dry weather has returned across the northern Plains, while showers have shifted southward, into Oklahoma and northern Texas.

In the South, hot, humid weather is stressing pastures and summer crops in areas where moisture is lacking.  At the end of June, more than one-third of the pastures were rated in very poor to poor condition in North Carolina (50%), South Carolina (41%), Georgia (40%), and Virginia (38%).  Later Friday, high temperatures will reach or exceed 100°F in parts of Virginia and the Carolinas.  Elsewhere, thundershowers are developing early Friday in parts of the mid-South.

In the West, a protracted heat wave is promoting a rapid pace of crop development but boosting irrigation demands.  Currently, the most extreme heat is focused across the Pacific Coast States and the Desert Southwest, with Friday’s high temperatures expected to top 115°F as far north as the northern Sacramento Valley of California.  In contrast, relatively cool conditions linger across the central Rockies and neighboring areas.