Western Corn Belt dry risks continue through mid-August

Heat relaxes briefly In the second week of August.

8/8/2022

Hot weather returned to the Corn Belt in the first week of August 2022, week-ending August 6, as this was the fourth hottest first week of August in 30+ years for the Corn Belt, according to data from WeatherTrends360.

Temperatures soared into the triple digits, primarily across the western and central Corn Belt. Hot weather combined with gusty winds dried soils out quickly. Precipitation was heavy in parts of the eastern Corn Belt, especially central and southern Illinois down into Kentucky. However, farther west, precipitation was spotty or absent. Drought deepened in parts of Iowa, Minnesota, northern Wisconsin, eastern Nebraska, and southeastern South Dakota according to data compiled by the United States Drought Monitor.

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There will be a brief reprieve from the heat in the western Corn Belt in the second week of August, week-ending August 13. Temperatures will cool relative to recently in the early to mid-part of the week with hotter weather returning, especially in the western Corn Belt, later in the week. Eastern areas will be cooler than their western counterparts. According to data from WeatherTrends360, the second week of August will be the 11th warmest in 30+ years for the Corn Belt as a whole.

Precipitation should be a bit more widespread in the second week of August in the central Corn Belt, but the western Corn Belt will continue to see spotty precipitation. Drought conditions are likely to deepen or expand in the western Corn Belt. Meanwhile, areas that have recently seen heavier rains, like Illinois, eastern Missouri, and Kentucky have the best chance of seeing appreciable rainfall. The western Corn Belt runs the highest risk for crop issues as soil moisture is very low.

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