Dry weather across much of the western U.S. this week worsened ongoing drought conditions in major agricultural regions, while scattered thunderstorms brought mixed results to the Great Plains and significant relief to parts of the Midwest according to the latest U.S. Drought Monitor. The U.S. Drought Monitor is produced by the National Drought Mitigation Center at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration and NASA.
Midwest sees significant relief
Heavy rainfall drenched central and northern Iowa, southern Minnesota and central Wisconsin this week, with widespread amounts of 2 to 8 inches. The precipitation led to one-category improvements in northwest and north-central Iowa, southeast Minnesota and far western Wisconsin, where drought or abnormal dryness had been ongoing.
Separately, heavy rains of 2 to 6 inches fell west of Chicago eastward to southeast Michigan. One-category improvements occurred northwest of Chicago.
However, recent dry weather created new concerns in the Michigan Upper Peninsula, northeast Minnesota and Isle Royale National Park, where abnormal dryness emerged. Similar conditions led to expanding abnormal dryness and moderate drought south and southeast of St. Louis.
Temperatures ran 6 to 12 degrees above normal across much of the Midwest this week, especially around the Great Lakes.
Great Plains conditions vary
Scattered showers and thunderstorms moved across the Great Plains this week, producing improvements in western Kansas and northeast Colorado. Rain also benefited areas along the Missouri and Big Sioux rivers in Nebraska and southeast South Dakota.
But degradations occurred in parts of central and north-central Colorado, where multiple large wildfires burned in areas with low soil moisture and large precipitation deficits. Conditions near and east of Denver and Colorado Springs worsened as precipitation deficits grew.
Eastern Nebraska saw expansion of abnormal dryness and moderate drought as precipitation and soil moisture deficits increased. North-central and western South Dakota experienced similar expansion of abnormal dryness and drought.
Temperatures in eastern Nebraska and eastern South Dakota ranged from 3 to 6 degrees above normal this week.
Southern grain states improve
Recent rainfall improved conditions across much of northern and southeast Louisiana and central and southern Arkansas, leading to widespread improvements to drought or abnormal dryness. Long-term drought conditions improved in portions of central Tennessee.
Rainfall amounts exceeded 2 inches in parts of southern Arkansas, northern and southern Louisiana, and central and western Tennessee. The precipitation lessened deficits in soil moisture and improved streamflow in affected areas.
Outlook
The National Weather Service forecast calls for mostly dry weather in the northern and southern Great Plains through Monday. Parts of the central Great Plains, especially southern Nebraska and northern Kansas, may receive locally more than an inch of rain. For July 14 to 18, forecasts favor drier-than-normal weather across the Great Lakes and central and northern Great Plains, with hotter-than-normal temperatures very likely across the northern Great Plains.
