Weather

Heat wave lingers for some; an unseasonably active pattern covers parts of the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, scattered showers and thunderstorms extend from the Great Lakes States into the middle Mississippi Valley.  Cool weather in the upper Mississippi Valley contrasts with warm, humid conditions across the remainder of the Midwest.  As early-planted corn and soybeans enter the reproductive stage of development, many Midwestern production areas have ample soil moisture.  Nationally, 4% of the corn crop was silking by June 22, while 8% of the soybeans were blooming.

On the Plains, warm weather favors a rapid pace of crop development.  Friday’s high temperatures should top 90°F as far north as western and central South Dakota.  However, showers in a few areas—especially from northern Texas into eastern Kansas—are slowing fieldwork, including winter wheat harvesting.  By June 22, only 19% of the U.S. winter wheat acreage had been harvested, well behind the 5-year average of 28%.

In the South, showers have become more numerous but remain mostly scattered.  Some of the heaviest showers are occurring along and near the eastern half of the Gulf Coast.  Extreme heat has subsided in the Southeast, although Friday’s high temperatures should still reach 95°F or higher in parts of the Carolinas.

In the West, very warm, mostly dry weather prevails.  Amid gusty winds, low humidity levels, and dry fuels, an elevated wildfire threat exists in portions of the northern Intermountain West, from southern Idaho into Wyoming.  Friday’s high temperatures will approach 110°F in the Desert Southwest and could reach 100°F as far north as California’s Sacramento Valley.