weather
Heat wave affects central and southern plains; sporadic storms in corn belt
Across the Corn Belt, high temperatures have spread into the Missouri Valley, but mild, rainy weather has blanketed the rest of the region. The upper Midwest saw some of the heaviest rainfall early Tuesday. Parts of the eastern Corn Belt are experiencing patchy drought, with Ohio reporting a very low to low topsoil moisture of 62% on July 28. Rated as Very Low to Low.
It will be hot in the Plains with scattered showers from Nebraska northward. On Tuesday, high temperatures will reach 100°F in areas as far north as western South Dakota. Reduced soil moisture and warmer temperatures are stressing immature summer crops but boosting harvests of northern small grains. On July 28, at least one-third of plains topsoil moisture was very low in all states except North and South Dakota.
In the south, the weather is warm and humid. However, dry weather from eastern Texas to the Mississippi Delta contrasts with showery conditions further east. The drought in the Southeast has improved significantly, but unfavorable drought conditions still exist in the mid-Atlantic region. On July 28, Virginia's topsoil moisture was 49%, which was very low to low.
To the west, a cold front moving through the northern Rockies is producing a few showers. Meanwhile, showers associated with the southwest monsoon circulation are mostly confined to southeastern Arizona. The rest of the West is dry, but temperatures aren't particularly warm for this time of year. Nearly 100 wildfires are in various stages of containment; the largest active fire, the Park Fire near Chico, California, has burned more than 373,000 acres.
