Midwest Rains Bring Relief as Western Drought Deepens

The latest U.S. Drought Monitor showed a week of generous rainfall brought widespread improvements in drought conditions across large parts of the Midwest and High Plains. However, drought intensified across much of the Northwest and interior West, deepening an east-west divide in conditions.

From Iowa through Illinois and Missouri, rainfall totals exceeded 200% of normal over the past seven days, helping to ease drought and abnormal dryness that had persisted into early July. Northern Illinois experienced improvements in abnormally dry-to-severe drought conditions, while eastern Iowa and northwest Iowa also benefited from moderate drought reductions.

In Minnesota, rains brought improvements to abnormally dry areas in the southwest and north, with moderate and severe drought lessening in far northern counties. Even parts of Michigan and southern Wisconsin saw incremental gains, reflecting the broader impact of this wet pattern.

Midwest

“The end of last week brought some severe weather to parts of southwestern Wisconsin,” shared Nick Groth, agronomic service representative for Syngenta Crop Protection.

He heard reports of damaging winds that had resulted in lodged corn in areas, but otherwise the weather has been seasonable for his area.

“High humidity, with plenty of heavy dews, along with scattered showers are probably the biggest concern because of how these conditions can really ramp up disease development,” Groth said.

High Plains

Further west, Nebraska stood out for sustained recovery. A multi-week stretch of above-normal precipitation enabled full-category improvements across central and northeast Nebraska.

“Small pop-up showers and thunderstorms have been common across Nebraska,” shared Travis Gustafson, agronomic service representative for Syngenta. “Weather is just about perfect for pollination, so we should see good kernel set as we progress through the month of July.”

Portions of southern South Dakota also experienced a full category improvement.

Portions of northeast Colorado also saw moderate drought and abnormally dry conditions ease, a sign that recent rains are starting to reverse longer-term deficits. However, pockets of dryness persisted, in eastern Wyoming and in areas of the Dakotas as well as in northeastern Kansas.

West

In contrast, much of the West endured another week of warm, drier weather. Severe and extreme drought expanded across Montana, Utah, Washington, Oregon, and Idaho, with some areas experiencing temperatures 4–6 degrees above normal.

Northern Utah saw the introduction of new extreme drought areas, and the panhandle of Idaho recorded a full-category degradation. The trend extended into northern Nevada and western Colorado, where severe drought spread further. Despite scattered monsoonal moisture in parts of the Southwest, most of the region remained dry.

Forecast

The 6–10 day outlook shows elevated chances for above-normal temperatures over the Midwest and Ozark Plateau, while the Northwest may see the best chances for above-normal precipitation, offering a potential, though uncertain, break from worsening drought.