Hot and dry conditions expanded across major U.S. agricultural regions on Wednesday, Sept. 2, accelerating corn, soybean and other summer crop maturation while increasing stress in areas already short of soil moisture. The Plains and southern Corn Belt face some of the strongest heat, with temperatures approaching 95°F to 100°F, while storms across northern production areas are providing beneficial moisture but also bringing localized wind and hail damage.

Across the Plains, dry weather is supporting harvest progress, but deteriorating pasture conditions and moisture shortages remain a concern. Nearly one-third of the U.S. cotton crop, 32%, was rated very poor to poor as of Aug. 30. Conditions were considerably worse in Oklahoma, at 51%, and Texas, at 47%, highlighting the agricultural impact of persistent heat and limited rainfall.

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Rain Brings Relief North, While the South Stays Hot

In the Corn Belt, heat is helping remove remaining pockets of excessive moisture and pushing corn and soybeans closer to maturity. Farther north, showers and thunderstorms are benefiting immature crops, although storms produced localized wind and hail damage from northern Nebraska and southern South Dakota into parts of Wisconsin.

In the South, Tropical Depression Edouard is bringing heavy rainfall to eastern Texas, while hot and mostly dry conditions elsewhere favor crop maturation and harvesting. Soybean development is advancing rapidly, with leaves dropping on 69% of Louisiana acreage, 63% in Mississippi and 45% in Tennessee as of Aug. 30.

The five-day outlook calls for 1 to 3 inches of rain from northern California and the Pacific Northwest into the northern Rockies, as well as from the northern Corn Belt toward the Northeast. Looking to Sept. 7-11, temperatures are expected to remain near or above normal across most of the country, with the South facing the greatest probability of unusually hot conditions.