Weather
Dry, seasonally cool weather across the Corn Belt; some rain on the Plains
Across the Corn Belt, cool conditions are slowing evaporation rates in areas—mainly across the far upper Midwest—where fields remain too wet for an optimal planting pace. Widespread temperatures below 40°F were reported Friday morning in the Dakotas and northern Minnesota. However, sunny weather in other areas of the Midwest is fostering the emergence of recently planted corn and soybeans.
On the Plains, showers linger across parts of Oklahoma and Texas, where harvesting of the drought-ravaged winter wheat crop is underway. By May 29, nearly one-quarter (22%) of the winter wheat in Texas had been harvested. However, the recent and ongoing rainfall is benefiting the southern Plains’ rangeland, pastures, and summer crops. Elsewhere, mostly dry weather accompanies near- or below-normal temperatures. Friday morning’s low temperatures broadly fell below 40°F in the Dakotas and eastern Montana, limiting emergence and growth of late-planted summer crops.
In the South, clouds and a few showers associated with Potential Tropical Cyclone One are overspreading southern Florida. Separately, a weakening cold front is producing a few Southeastern showers. Overall, Southern conditions remain mostly favorable for pastures and summer crops; on May 29, more than two-thirds of the U.S. rice (71%) and peanuts (73%) were rated in good to excellent condition.
In the West, warm weather prevails, despite an increase in cloudiness. Scattered but locally heavy showers have developed from the Pacific Northwest to the northern Rockies, leading to some elevated river levels and pockets of flash flooding.
