USA: Northern Corn Belt drought conditions worsen

Drought-ridden areas see deepening drought but eastern Corn Belt is wetter.

Hotter and wetter trends in the Corn Belt last week (week ending August 14), but rain missed the major drought areas once again. While the eastern Corn Belt saw wetter weather which, unfortunately, featured some severe weather, the northern Plains remained high and dry. Drought conditions deepened in parts of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. Northern Minnesota saw the introduction of D4 (exceptional drought), the first time the state has seen this intensity of drought since the United States Drought Monitor began in the year 1999.

As we head into the week ending August 21, the start of the week will bring hot and dry conditions across the major drought areas of the northern Plains and Upper Midwest. The eastern Corn Belt should also see dry weather to start the week but temperatures may be a bit cooler than normal, briefly, before hotter weather returns to the area, according to forecasts from WeatherTrends360.

The second half of the week ending August 21 is forecast to bring an increased chance of showers and thunderstorms, even into the Northern Plains and Upper Midwest. However, this forecast is approached with caution as this summer has featured many false hopes of precipitation, especially in the Northern Plains. Any rainfall will be welcome at this point but a prolonged wetter pattern is needed to ease drought conditions significantly. A cold front will sweep through the North Central United States late in the week bringing a cooldown in temperatures.

Meanwhile, the Atlantic basin is starting to come alive with activity. Tropical Storm Fred formed last week and made a run through the Caribbean Islands before heading toward Florida in the second weekend of August. Another tropical system is likely to develop in the Atlantic Basin with potential impacts on the U.S. late in the week ending August 21. Interests in hurricane-prone areas should monitor forecasts for developments on these tropical systems. WeatherTrends360 forecasts a more active than normal season in the Atlantic which peaks, climatologically, in mid-September.

Successful Farming

Tags: drought, weather