Weather

Extreme heat continues in much of the Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, showers and thunderstorms are rolling across the northern edge of a ridge of high pressure that continues to produce crop-damaging heat. On the 4th of July, high temperatures reached or exceeded 100° across the majority of the Corn Belt, severely stressing reproductive corn and soybeans. Similar Midwestern temperatures can be expected again Thursday.

On the Plains, isolated but highly beneficial showers and thunderstorms are affecting areas from Nebraska northward. However, extreme heat continued to severely stress both rain-fed and irrigated summer crops on the central Plains. Temperatures are not as high on the southern Plains, although unfavorably dry weather prevails.

In the South, hot weather continues to promote a rapid crop development pace. However, drought remains a significant problem in several areas, particularly in an area centered on Arkansas and the Missouri Bootheel.

In the West, a rich feed of monsoon moisture is producing showers from the Four Corners States to the Intermountain region. Higher humidity levels and scattered showers are aiding wildfire containment efforts.