The extended weather forecast from the National Weather Service calls for increased chances of above-normal temperatures across virtually all of the contiguous U.S. for August through October, aside from the far northwestern Corn Belt, PNW and West Coast. The 90-day forecast shows a bubble of below-normal precipitation over much of the western Corn Belt westward through the Rocky Mountain region. The eastern Corn Belt has “equal chances” for normal, above-normal and below-normal precip during the 90-day period. Above-normal rainfall is likely across the Delta, Southeast and Atlantic Coast.
Despite the forecast for hotter- and drier-than-normal conditions in the western Corn Belt during the second half of the growing season, the Seasonal Drought Outlook only calls for drought conditions to develop or persist in extreme western/southwestern areas of the region.
