Drought Monitor Shows Slight Improvement Nationwide

The U.S. Drought Monitor map released this week reflected improvements and deteriorations, continuing the season’s mixed pattern but ultimately showing a slight decline in overall coverage across the country.

Abnormally dry or worse conditions covered 72% of the country, down from 74% last week. However, about 21% of the country was experiencing severe drought or worse, down slightly from 23% last week, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM).

Midwest

In the Midwest this week, moderate to heavy precipitation fell across much of the region. Drought improvements were noted across the Michigan Lower Peninsula and the Ohio Valley.

Nick Groth, agronomic service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection, said Wisconsin experienced more seasonable weather over the past week.

“We did see a few warm days still last week, but by the end of the week the weather seemed to be turning cooler and wetter,” said Groth.

An expansion of dryness and moderate drought persisted from Minnesota through Iowa. Severe drought or worse affected over 14.5% of the Midwest on the Oct. 14 map, but less than 10% this week. The worst conditions were found in parts of southwestern Missouri, east-central Illinois, central and northeastern Indiana, and northwestern Ohio.

Two to four inches of precipitation fell in a band stretching from east-central Missouri across upper southern Illinois and into west-central Indiana, while 1.5–3 inches soaked a large part of Michigan’s Lower Peninsula.

Wyffels agronomy manager Ryan Gentle’s territory in Illinois received precipitation and wind over the weekend.

“We received anywhere from half an inch to over 3 inches in western Illinois on Saturday,” said Gentle. “The heavier totals were in the southern edge of the region. It looks like much cooler temperatures for the next week. It will be nice for it to feel like fall finally.”

High Plains

Last week, the High Plains received a wide range of rainfall totals. Amounts from 1.5–3 inches fell in the northern and western Dakotas, much of central and eastern Wyoming, and scattered locations in northwestern Wyoming. Then, around an inch fell across a swath from central Nebraska into southeastern South Dakota, according to the USDM. Most areas from southwestern Wyoming through western Nebraska and across eastern Nebraska through Kansas reported little or no precipitation.

“After receiving some rain at the beginning of the week across Nebraska, fields have dried out enough to get back to field work,” said Travis Gustafson, agronomic service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection. “Temperatures have dropped off, but the wind picked up helping dry things out. Fortunately, the wind has not caused standability issues with corn at this point.”

The drought monitor showed the total area with some degree of dryness or drought dropping slightly to a bit over 36% this week, and extreme drought dropped from 3.3% down to 1.7%.