Drought Footprint Recedes

Drought continues to cover much of the western half of the country, though the footprint has receded, especially in the Plains. As of June 7, the U.S. Drought Monitor shows 58% of the country covered by some form of dryness/drought.

USDA says 49% of U.S. winter wheat area is covered by dryness/drought, down four percentage points from last week. For other crops, USDA estimates the drought footprint at 19% for corn, 10% for soybeans, 25% for spring wheat and 51% for cotton – all unchanged from last week.

Drought Monitor commentary notes: “A couple of low-pressure systems and trailing cold fronts are forecast to bring widespread, heavy rainfall to the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic through June 11. Along a nearly stationary front, a swath of heavy rainfall is forecast to spread southeastward from the Ozarks Region to the northern Gulf Coast on June 9 and 10. The wet pattern is likely to continue from the Pacific Northwest eastward to the northern Rockies and northern Great Plains through June 13, as another low-pressure system emerges from the northeastern Pacific. Meanwhile, a heat wave is forecast to expand from California and the Desert Southwest eastward to the south-central U.S. during mid-June. The Climate Prediction Center’s 6-10 day outlook (valid June 14-18) depicts large probabilities (more than 70 percent) for above-normal temperatures across the southern Great Plains, lower Mississippi Valley and Southeast. Below-normal temperatures are favored to persist across the Pacific Northwest. Below-normal precipitation is favored for the central to southern Great Plains, middle to lower Mississippi Valley, and much of the Corn Belt. Probabilities for above-normal precipitation are elevated across the Pacific Northwest along with parts of the Southwest.”