Ag Weather Forum

Important Week Ahead For Rain

Bryce Anderson
By  Bryce Anderson , Ag Meteorologist Emeritus
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After the dry month of July--when many areas of the northern and central U.S. had rainfall deficits of two to four inches below normal--the forecast during the next week offers light to heavy amounts of precipitation. This is of course a "just in time" forecast as soybeans go into the key month of August, and corn moves into its dough stage ahead of the final steps toward maturation.

That rainfall pattern has a wide range. An arc from south-central Minnesota through eastern Iowa, northeastern Missouri, north-central Illinois, south-central Wisconsin, southern Michigan, northern Indiana, and northern Ohio is in line for one-and one-half inches of rain, possibly heavier, during the time frame from Sunday, August 3, through Thursday, August 7. (This stretch means that the Farmfest farm show in Redwood Falls, MN may have some mud to deal with--but I don't think anyone will be too upset.)

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We could also see up to one inch of rain in eastern South Dakota, northeastern Nebraska, southeastern Kansas, western and northern Missouri, central Illinois, central Indiana, central Ohio, central Michigan, central Wisconsin and central Illinois. These are certainly significant rain amounts; and, while this one event doesn't make the crop, it is certainly a timely dose of moisture.

The forecast is much lighter outside of this pocket of heavier precip. Rainfall amounts indicated are no more than one-half inch from central South Dakota south to south-central Kansas, along with central Missouri, south-central Illinois, and east to southern Ohio. There's more of a tail-off for the remainder of the Plains and Midwest, as forecast rain totals only show a maximum of around one-quarter inch.

It will, as always, be interesting to see how this rain pattern evolves. The forecast makes a definite suggestion that conditions will improve in some big-production areas of the Midwest. But, not everyone will share in the full precipitation bounty.

Bryce

Twitter @BAndersonDTN

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andrew mohlman
8/8/2014 | 8:18 AM CDT
rain for some but not all. not that giant crop when and how will it be disclosed by those who are never wrong
JAMIE KOUBA
8/6/2014 | 11:28 PM CDT
In southwest North Dakota July had no rain to offer, late mudded in crops are having a hard time, and now with wheat harvest days from starting we have areas that have seen 8" ot rain in the past few days, in one area the roads have bean washed out. We won't know the damage on the wheat for a few days yet, anything green is lodged from the heavy rains.
Raymond Simpkins
8/6/2014 | 12:51 PM CDT
here in southern Michigan we are more than 4 in. below normal,With most of that being July.No measurable amounts since June 25 th and we are headed back to the upper 80s this week.Beans are very small,acres that are not knee high in the area.We have patches of corn on sandy spots with no ears.Our very good crops we started with are headed south fast with no rain in the 10 day forecast.