Weather

Weather varies greatly across the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, dry, breezy weather prevails across the upper Midwest. Meanwhile, humid, showery conditions linger across the Ohio Valley and the lower Great Lakes region. The Corn Belt’s most significant area of dryness extends from eastern Nebraska to northern Illinois, leading to stress on pastures and immature summer crops. On August 30, Iowa led the Midwest with very poor to poor ratings for 49% of its pastures; 25% of its corn; and 18% of its soybeans.

On the Plains, wildfire ignition is a concern—amid windy, dry conditions—across much of Montana, Wyoming, and the western Dakotas, as small grain harvesting continues. U.S. barley and spring wheat harvests were 74 and 69% complete, respectively, on August 30. Meanwhile, showers and thunderstorms continue across the southeastern Plains, where flash flooding remains a concern.

In the South, showers and thunderstorms are occurring from Kentucky to northeastern Texas. Flash flooding remains a threat (or a reality) in several areas, particularly across the northwestern half of Arkansas. Meanwhile, hot, humid weather prevails in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast, including hurricane-recovery areas of Louisiana. On September 1, Tropical Storm Omar—which is moving away from the East Coast—became the earliest “O” storm on record to form in the Atlantic Basin; the previous record was set on September 7, 2005, with the naming of Ophelia.

In the West, building heat and dry conditions are further reducing soil moisture reserves and maintaining stress on rangeland and pastures. On August 30, topsoil moisture was rated at least one-half very short to short in nearly every Western State, led by New Mexico (91% very short to short), Colorado (82%), and Wyoming (75%).