Across the Corn Belt, showers and thunderstorms are boosting soil moisture for rapidly developing summer crops. On June 3, Missouri led the Midwest with topsoil moisture rated 39% very short to short. Currently, some of the heaviest rain is falling across the upper Midwest.
On the Plains, scattered showers and thunderstorms continue to help offset the effects of above-normal temperatures. On the southern Plains, however, some rangeland, pastures, and summer crops continue to struggle due to high temperatures and a lack of soil moisture. On June 3, only 39% of the cotton in Oklahoma and 28% of the cotton in Texas was rated in good to excellent condition, compared to 74 and 53%, respectively, at the same time a year ago.
In the South, warm, dry weather prevails, except for a few showers in the southern Atlantic region. Concerns about developing drought persist in some areas from the Mississippi Delta westward; statewide pasture ratings on June 3 included 37% very poor to poor in Texas and 30% very poor to poor in Louisiana.
In the West, rain showers are approaching the northern Pacific Coast. Currently, nearly all of the West is experiencing warm, dry weather. Critically dry conditions persist in much of the Southwest, where Winslow, Arizona, has reported precipitation totaling just 0.54 inch (12% of normal) since September 1, 2017.
A nearly nationwide spell of hot weather will end during the weekend with the arrival of cool air across the northern Plains, the Northwest, and California. In addition, cool conditions will linger along portions of the Atlantic Seaboard. By early next week, however, warmth will return across the Far West. Meanwhile, an active weather pattern across the Midwest and Southeast should lead to 1- to 3-inch rainfall totals, with locally higher amounts, during the next 5 days. Significant rain can also be expected in the central Appalachians and the Mid-Atlantic States. In contrast, mostly dry weather will prevail in the western U.S., excluding the Pacific Northwest and the northern Rockies.
Looking ahead, the 6- to 10-day outlook calls for the likelihood of warmer-than-normal weather nationwide, except for near- to below-normal temperatures across the nation’s northern tier. Meanwhile, drier-than-normal conditions in the Northwest and from the upper Great Lakes region into New England should contrast with near- to above-normal rainfall across the remainder of the country.