Wide-ranging temperatures across the Heartland

Weather

Wide-ranging temperatures across the Heartland

Across the Corn Belt, cool but dry weather prevails. Monday’s high temperatures should range from around 75°F in the vicinity of the Great Lakes to near 90°F in the westernmost Corn Belt. Many parts of the Midwest have received little rain since mid-July. Upper Midwestern summer crops need rain, but most corn and soybeans across the southern and eastern Corn Belt have been able to withstand the dry spell due to lack of extreme heat and abundant soil moisture reserves.

On the Plains, dry weather prevails, except in parts of Texas. In addition, heat has returned across the drought-stricken northern Plains, where Monday’s high temperatures could approach 100°F. Farther south, pockets of dryness have developed in Kansas and portions of neighboring states, but overall growing conditions remain mostly favorable on the central and southern Plains.

In the South, cooler, drier air has overspread the northern tier of the region, including the Tennessee Valley. Meanwhile, hot, humid weather lingers across the Deep South, from Texas to the southern Atlantic Coast. Most Southern pastures and summer crops continue to grow well, amid mostly moderate temperatures and abundant rainfall.

In the West, the axis of heaviest monsoon-related rainfall has shifted eastward and currently stretches from New Mexico to the northern Rockies. Parts of Arizona, including Tucson, experienced record-setting July wetness; in fact, Tucson’s July total of 8.06 inches marked the wettest month on record in that location, surpassing 7.93 inches in August 1955. Meanwhile, the Far West continues to endure hot, mostly dry weather, along with local air-quality degradation due to smoke.

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