Data released Monday by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration showed that June weather contributed to more than 170 weather records broken or tied and the warmest 12-month period the nation has experienced since 1895.
And, while temperatures are climbing, precipitation levels are dropping, making for a producer's worst nightmare.
NOAA's Drought Report, issued Monday, explains that 55% of the contiguous U.S. was in a moderate to extreme drought situation at the end of June, a situation that hasn't been seen since the 1950s.
Though rain fell in the northwest and the northeast areas of the U.S., much of the rest of the country continued to suffer drought conditions, with 47% of the country listed as moderately dry to exceptionally dry and 71% listed as abnormally dry to exceptionally dry. The two records shattered previous figures, which were 46% and 66%, respectively, both earned during the late summer of 2002.
Weather data indicates this droughty weather has no plans of letting up; Hot temperatures continue to shatter records and scorch corn. (Photo: NOAA)
Farmers began to get more anxious in June as core drought conditions began to solidify across much of
the Corn Belt, centered on southern Illinois, Indiana, and Missouri, as
well as Kansas and Nebraska.
"Topsoil has dried out crops, pastures, and rangeland have
deteriorated at a rate rarely seen in the last 18 years," the report
said.
The Palmer Z Index, which is used to depict moisture conditions
for the current month, showed severe conditions for a majority of the
U.S. as well, meaning concerns of a drought comparable to 1988 are also
coming true.
"The last time the April-June Palmer Z Index was this dry was
1988, which had the most severe Palmer Z Index," the report concluded.
See additional weather maps by viewing the
full report.
Photo: NOAA
Keep up on the drought
Farm Progress is pooling all the coverage of the drought from across the country into a single place - www.DatelineDrought.com - where you can see a daily video from Max Armstrong, Farm Progress director of broadcast, and Farm Futures Senior Editor Bryce Knorr, along with national, local and regional coverage of the ongoing drought across the heart of the country.