Weather

Cooler, drier air continues to advance southward across the remainder of the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, cool, mostly dry weather trails the passage of a cold front.  Thursday’s high temperatures will remain below 85°F throughout the Midwest, with readings staying below 75°F in the Red River Valley of the North.  A new cold front approaching the upper Midwest is generating a few showers, mainly in the Dakotas.

On the Plains, ongoing heat from Colorado and Kansas southward contrasts with very cool conditions in Montana and North Dakota.  In addition, showers across the northern Plains are slowing harvest activities but benefiting rangeland, pastures, and any immature crops.  However, crop conditions continue to deteriorate on the central and southern Plains, where topsoil moisture rated very short to short on August 4 ranged from 55% in Kansas to 67% in Texas.

In the South, heavy rain in the eastern Carolinas is leading to extensive lowland flooding that is gradually spreading from tributaries to larger creeks and rivers.  As flooding expands, producers in the Carolinas continue to monitor their crops and animals, including hogs and pigs.  Much of the remainder of the South is experiencing hot, humid weather, with 100-degree temperatures expected later today in non-coastal locations as far east as the lower Mississippi Valley.

In the West, hot, mostly dry weather is maintaining heavy irrigation demands and contributing to a locally elevated wildfire threat, especially in areas of the northern Intermountain region where gusty winds and low humidity levels are occurring.  Any meaningful showers associated with the monsoon circulation are limited to parts of the Southwest.