As of May 30, the Drought Monitor showed 50% of the U.S. was covered by abnormal dryness/drought, up nine percentage points from the previous week. USDA estimated drought covered 34% of corn production areas (up eight points from last week), 28% of soybeans (up eight points), 6% of spring wheat (down two points) and 28% of cotton areas (down eight points).
For the Midwest, the Drought Monitor noted: “Some rain fell at the northwest and southeast ends of the Midwest region this week, but most of the region received no precipitation. The Southeast’s cutoff low dropped 2 inches of rain over extreme eastern Kentucky, while thunderstorms gave parts of Minnesota up to an inch of rain. But the story for the Midwest was continued drying of soils, low streamflow, and mounting precipitation deficits over the last 1 to 3 months. Reports have been received in Indiana of lawns in yards becoming stressed and going dormant, pond levels dropping, some stress in pastures, and mesonet stations reporting soils becoming drier. In Illinois, there were reports of dry/dormant lawns, cracked soil, visibly stressed young trees and shrubs, and unusually low stream and pond levels; corn and beans were doing okay for now, but there were more widespread emergence issues developing from soil crusting. D0 expanded across most of the region; D1 grew in Illinois, Iowa, and Missouri; D2 (severe drought) expanded in Iowa and Missouri; and D3 grew in Missouri. Soils rapidly dried across the Midwest. As of May 28, USDA data revealed more than half of the topsoil moisture was short or very short in Iowa (50%), Missouri (62%), and Michigan (68%), and 40% or more was short or very short in Wisconsin (45%), Ohio (45%), Illinois (42%), and Indiana (40%).”
For the Plains, the Drought Monitor stated: “Continued dry conditions in the eastern portions of the region resulted in expansion of abnormal dryness or moderate drought in the Dakotas, abnormal dryness to extreme drought in eastern Kansas, and severe to exceptional drought in eastern Nebraska. Based on May 28 USDA data, more than 40% of the topsoil moisture was short or very short in Nebraska (57%), Kansas (50%), and South Dakota (46%). More than two-thirds of the subsoil moisture was short or very short in Nebraska (75%) and Kansas (68%).”
The Monthly Drought Outlook indicates drought development is likely over the central and eastern Corn Belt during June, though that area is confined to northern Iowa for July and August.
Click here for additional information and related maps.
Click here to view USDA’s assessment of drought in crop areas.