News
Little relief for rain-soaked parts of US
Relief for rain-soaked regions in parts of the US Midwest and the Great Plains states is unlikely, according to the latest weather forecasts from the US National Weather Service. Grain farmers from Nebraska to Wisconsin are bracing for another round of heavy rains and thunderstorms.
July 7, 2008 By AgWeb/Farm Journal
July 7, 2008
The news for some in the US continues to deteriorate.
Locally heavy rain is falling again from eastern Nebraska to Wisconsin, exacerbating the local flood situation, USDA's Joint Ag Weather Facility reported Monday. Drier weather, though, is expected in southern and eastern sections of the Corn Belt. Elsewhere in the U.S.:
- In the West, seasonal monsoonal showers are increasing over the Four Corners Region. Unseasonably warm, dry weather prevails elsewhere, however, accelerating development of summer row crops while favoring the spread of wildfires.
- On the Plains, showers and thunderstorms are advancing eastward through the eastern Dakotas, benefiting spring grains but raising stream levels in the Missouri River system. Warmth and dryness continue to dominate southern growing areas, fostering winter wheat harvests but stressing summer crops.
- In the South, showers and thunderstorms are benefiting cotton and other crops along the southern Atlantic Coast. Heat and dryness further stress rain-fed summer row crops from the southern Plains to Alabama.
Near-term Outlook: During the next several days, a slow moving front will bring copious rainfall to the Corn Belt and Midwest. Heavy rain and thunderstorms, some severe, will continue from the northern Plains through the western Corn Belt, shifting slowly southward on Tuesday and Wednesday, bringing a threat of flash flooding across the rest of the Corn Belt and Ohio Valley. Elsewhere, daily thunderstorms will soak southern Texas and the Florida Peninsula, while monsoonal moisture will generate isolated thunderstorms across the Four Corners Region. For the rest of the West, dry weather and near to above-normal summertime heat will continue.
Extended Outlook: The National Weather Service 6- to 10-day outlook for July 12-16 calls for above-normal temperatures across the eastern half of the nation, with below-normal temperatures more likely in the West. Near to above-normal rainfall is more likely throughout most of the country, contrasting with drier-than-normal conditions along the Pacific Coast, southern Texas and Florida.
