Hot Weather, Limited Rain Expand Drought in High Plains, Parts of Midwest

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor shows widespread dry and drought conditions, driven by hotter-than-average temperatures and below-normal precipitation across much of the country.

There was a range of temperatures with most areas one to five degrees above normal, while isolated areas of California, Minnesota, and North Dakota saw below-normal temperatures. Even warmer temperatures of five to 10 degrees above normal were reported across the High Plains and Midwest, Arkansas, along the Ohio River, central Pennsylvania, and New York. For much of the country, precipitation was mostly near to slightly below normal.

Midwest

In the Midwest, areas received heavy rains and saw steady or improved conditions in Iowa, Minnesota, and Wisconsin. The southern and eastern parts of the Midwest saw conditions deteriorate and drought expand. 

In Minnesota, Tim Dahl, agronomic service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection, shared that the state has been wet. “Many areas of the state received too much rain,” Dahl said.

Nick Groth, agronomic service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection in Wisconsin, shared that most areas received additional rainfall.

“There were some heavy storms across southern Wisconsin on Aug. 12, and widespread storms over the weekend,” he said. “Some of these systems brought heavy winds along with plenty of rain. Outside of rain, the conditions were humid, and seasonably warm, but not as hot as the week prior.”

Phil Krieg, agronomy service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection in Illinois, hasn’t seen significant rain in more than two weeks, but he has seen plenty of hot weather with daytime temperatures near 100°F and night temperatures above 80°F. He’s worried about the toll it will take on the crops.

“Overall, soybeans look good finally, but dry and hot weather is taking yield away every day,” Krieg said.

Logan Dinkla, agronomic service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection in Iowa, added that his territory has experienced mixed temperatures.

“Last week started off with cooler temperatures than what we have been used to, but finished the week with hot and humid conditions,” Dinkla said.

High Plains

The High Plains saw abnormal dryness and drought intensify across Nebraska, Kansas, and the Dakotas as above-normal temperatures and limited rainfall added stress to crops and rangeland.

In Nebraska, Travis Gustafson, agronomic service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection, experienced a weather system that moved through eastern Nebraska on Aug. 9, which brought severe straight-line wind damage to the area.

“Many people were without power and a lot of acres were either severely stripped up or laid over,” Gustafson said. “Time will tell us how much this affects yield. Otherwise, Nebraska has been fairly hot and dry.”

South

In the South, scattered storms brought some relief to parts of Texas and south-central Tennessee. Along the Tennessee and mid-Mississippi River valleys, flash drought conditions led to widespread intensification and expansion of abnormal dryness (D0) and moderate drought (D1).

The Southeast saw areas of 1 to 3 inches above normal precipitation and mostly stable conditions, though moderate drought and abnormally dry areas persisted in Alabama, Georgia, and the Carolinas.