Weather

Fieldwork delays in parts of the Ohio Valley

On the Plains, rangeland, pastures, and winter grains across the southern half of the region are benefiting from recent topsoil moisture improvements. Meanwhile, extremely dry conditions from Montana to Nebraska are maintaining severe stress on rangeland and pastures, as well as delaying seeding of some winter grains and hampering the emergence of recently planted wheat.

Across the Corn Belt, mild, mostly dry weather prevails, despite widespread cloudiness. As a result, summer crop harvesting continues at a rapid pace, especially across the upper Midwest. However, showers are beginning to spread northward into the Ohio Valley.

In the South, widespread showers and thunderstorms are limiting fieldwork but maintaining generally favorably moisture reserves for cool-season pastures and soon-to-be-planted winter grains. The rain is also easing or eradicating lingering drought across the interior Southeast.

In the West, unusually warm, dry weather continues to promote fieldwork, including Northwestern winter wheat planting, cotton harvesting in Arizona, and rice harvesting in California.