Weather

Welcome rains on parts of the Plains, western Corn Belt; temps warm across the eastern Corn Belt

Across the Corn Belt, mostly dry weather prevails. Spotty thundershowers are occurring, however, in the southwestern Corn Belt. Meanwhile, cool conditions in the eastern Corn Belt contrast with warm weather west of the Mississippi River. In the initial crop condition report of the season, on May 31, approximately two-thirds of the U.S. corn (67%) and soybeans (66%) were rated in good to excellent condition, reflecting generally favorable Midwestern growing conditions.

On the Plains, active weather continues to provide limited drought relief. Rain is benefiting rangeland, pastures, and summer crops, but arrived too late on the central and southern Plains to aid winter wheat. At the end of May, 44% of the U.S. winter wheat crop was rated in very poor to poor condition, with higher values observed in Nebraska (70%), Color-ado (67%), Texas (64%), Kansas (55%), and Oklahoma (53%). Overnight thunderstorms produced localized wind and hail damage on the central High Plains; a northerly wind gust to 70 mph was clocked in Garden City, Kansas.

In the South, cooler, drier air has spread as far south as the middle Atlantic States and much of the Tennessee Valley. Warm, humid, showery conditions linger, however, across the Deep South. Patchy wetness has replaced previously dry conditions, with topsoil moisture rated 35% surplus on May 31 in Georgia and Louisiana. However, drought-affected grasses have been slow to recover, with 73% of North Carolina’s pastures rated very poor to poor at the end of May.

In the West, lingering cool weather is limited to the northern Rockies. Elsewhere, warm, dry conditions are boosting irrigation demands, although widespread showers are expected to develop later Wednesday in the southern Rockies and environs. At the end of May, statewide rangeland and pastures were rated one-half to three-quarters very poor to poor in Arizona (75%), Montana (59%), Wyoming (59%), Utah (58%), and New Mexico (54%).