Weather
Near-seasonal weather across the Heartland
Across the Corn Belt, cloudy, rainy weather prevails across the upper Mississippi Valley, where Friday’s high temperatures will remain below 70°F. Showers and thunderstorms also extend southward into the lower Missouri Valley. Meanwhile in the eastern Corn Belt, cool but dry weather favors corn and soybean maturation. On August 29, corn denting was ahead of the 5-year average pace in all Midwestern States except Missouri, with statewide progress ranging from 36 to 73%.
On the Plains, rainfall in the vicinity of a cold front is heaviest early Friday across eastern Kansas. Friday’s high temperatures will remain below 80°F across the northern half of the region, but heat (temperatures approaching 100°F) persists on the southeastern Plains. Winter wheat planting preparations are underway—or soon will be—with statewide topsoil moisture rated very short to short ranging from 41% in Texas to 89% in Montana.
In the South, hot, humid weather stretches from the western Gulf Coast region to the lower Mississippi Valley. Hurricane recovery continues in the central Gulf Coast region, amid ongoing power outages and difficult outdoor working conditions due to the heat and humidity. Meanwhile, cooler, less humid air is overspreading the Tennessee Valley and the middle Atlantic States.
In the West, mostly dry weather accompanies a gradual warming trend. Early Friday, any lingering showers are confined to the Rockies. According to the August 31 U.S. Drought Monitor, extreme to exceptional drought (D3 to D4) is affecting 54% of the 11-state Western region, with coverage ranging from 15% in Colorado to 88% in California and Utah.
