Eastern Cornbelt:
Hot, humid weather was reported in Indiana during the week, with some central areas of the state collecting as much as two inches of rain at midweek. Heavy rain was also reported in parts of eastern Ohio during the week, while scattered rain and slightly cooler temperatures were reported in central and southern Illinois as the week progressed.
Soybean planting had progressed to 89-93 percent complete in the Eastern Cornbelt by June 6, with all three states tracking ahead of their five-year averages. Corn emergence by that date was rated at 93 percent in Illinois, 88 percent in Indiana, and 83 percent in Ohio, with good or excellent ratings assigned to 73-76 percent of the regional acreage.
Western Cornbelt:
Temperatures rose to the upper-80s and low-90s in central Iowa during the week, with a wide area of moderate-to-severe drought reported across the northern half of the state. Strong thunderstorms tracked through the Nebraska Panhandle on June 8, with reports of damaging winds and large hail in some locations.
High heat and humidity were also reported in central Missouri during the week, with highs expected to reach into the 90s later in the week. Heat index values were projected to reach the middle- to upper-90s by the weekend.
Soybean planting had progressed to 98 percent complete in Iowa and Nebraska by June 6, compared with 65 percent in Missouri. Missouri growers also had 98 percent of the cotton seeded by that date, with rice emergence estimated at 96 percent. The sorghum crop was 73 percent planted in Nebraska by June 6.
Corn emergence was rated at 91-96 percent in the region, with good or excellent ratings assigned to 84 percent of the new crop in Nebraska, 77 percent in Iowa, and 57 percent in Missouri.
California:
California experienced weather extremes in mid-June, with unseasonably hot weather in the southern half of the state and cool, wet weather in the north.
Temperatures across Southern California were in the 80s at midweek, but weekend highs were expected to soar into the 90s and possibly the triple digits in some locations. A Pacific Northwest weather system dropped temperatures across Northern California to about 15 degrees below normal, by contrast, with high winds and light rain at midweek.
The precipitation is expected to do little to alleviate worsening drought conditions across the state. The June 10 U.S. Drought Monitor showed virtually all of California in extreme-to-exceptional drought, with major reservoirs running at half capacity or below in Northern California, including Lakes Oroville and Folsom.
The cotton crops in California and Arizona were 99-100 percent planted by June 6, and fully 75 percent of California’s rice had emerged by that date. USDA rated both of the emerging crops as 90 percent good or excellent on that date.
Pacific Northwest:
A long string of unusually hot, dry days across much of Oregon and Washington in early June worsened drought conditions and fueled a number of early wildfires in the region. In northeast Oregon, high winds fueled the growth of the Joseph Canyon Fire, which has scorched 4,000 acres on the Oregon-Washington border.
A Pacific weather system brought cooler weather and some needed rainfall to both states as the week progressed, but precipitation levels were small. All of Oregon was locked in drought at mid-month, with a wide band of extreme-to-exceptional drought conditions stretching across the center of the state and extending into southeastern Washington.
After excessive heat and record-breaking temperatures in early June, much of southern Idaho enjoyed cooler weather and some rain during the week. Precipitation totals ranged from under a half-inch in the valleys to nearly an inch in the mountains, but another blast of heat was expected by the weekend, with highs expected to soar into the 80s and 90s.
Cooler weather was also reported in Montana after the prior week’s blast of summer heat. Severe thunderstorms moved across north-central and central Montana at midweek, with reports of strong winds and hail in some locations.
Spring wheat and barley crops were 97-99 percent emerged in Idaho and Washington by June 6, compared with 80-87 percent in Montana. Just 17-18 percent of the acreage in Washington was rated as good or excellent, compared with 25-43 percent in Idaho and 47-57 percent in Montana. Fully 41-56 percent of Washington’s spring wheat and barley acres were rated as poor or very poor.
Winter wheat conditions were worse across the region, with good or excellent ratings assigned to only 8 percent of the acreage in Oregon, 25 percent in Washington, and 33-36 percent in Idaho and Montana.
Western Canada:
Strong thunderstorms tracked across the Prairies as the week progressed, coming just days after record-high heat in some locations.
Manitoba broke 14 heat records on June 4, with temperatures soaring past 40 C in some areas. Temperatures in Winnipeg hit a record 36.5 C on that date, while the hottest temperature in the province was recorded in Gretna, which hit a high of 41.3 C.
In the days that followed, however, strong storms moved across Alberta and Saskatchewan, along with much cooler weather in Alberta. Forecasts warned of tennis ball-sized hail and 100 km/h winds in parts of southern Saskatchewan on June 9-10, while heavy rain and high-elevation snow were reported in Alberta.
Temperatures in Alberta dropped to the single digits early in the week, while highs in the 30s were once again expected in southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba by the coming weekend.
Spring planting was 99 percent complete in Saskatchewan, slightly ahead of the five-year average. Planting of pulse crops and soybeans was also nearly complete in Manitoba. “Spring application is basically wrapped up here, with possibly some topdressing to occur if we get some rain this week,” said one Saskatchewan contact at midweek.