Weather

Seasonal warmth except far northern areas; welcome rains build across parts of the Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, widespread showers are slowing late-season planting efforts but maintaining mostly abundant moisture reserves for corn and soybeans.  On June 8, more than two-thirds of both crops—71% of the U.S. corn and 68% of the soybeans—were rated in good to excellent condition.  On that date in Iowa, 85% of the corn and 80% of the soybeans were rated in good to excellent condition.

On the Plains, scattered showers and thunderstorms continue to boost soil moisture in drought-affected northern areas and slow fieldwork farther south.  In Oklahoma, only 5% of the winter wheat had been harvested by June 8, compared to 44% the same time a year ago and the 5-year average of 23%.  Farther north, drought still covered 86% of Nebraska on June 10, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor, along with 59% of Montana.

In the South, dry weather has returned across eastern Texas, although significant lowland flooding continues.  For example, Tres Palacios River near Midfield, Texas, crested 5.39 feet above flood stage early Friday to reach the highest level in that location since June 6, 2019.  Early Friday, the heaviest showers have shifted into the Mississippi Delta, where producers continue to struggle to complete fieldwork, such as final summer crop planting efforts.

In the West, hot, dry weather prevails.  Heat is especially notable in the Desert Southwest, where Friday’s high temperatures will locally top 105°F.  An elevated wildfire threat persists in parts of the northern Great Basin and the Northwest, amid breezy conditions, low humidity levels, and vegetation that is curing in the wake of an accelerated snow-melt season.