Midwest Overview - September 8-17, 2002

The 10-day period of September 8-17 was very dry in the Midwest. Only extreme northeastern Ohio and parts of northern and central Kentucky received relief from drought conditions in the form of several inches of rain (Figure 1). These were also the only areas in the Midwest to receive above normal amounts of precipitation for the period (Figure 2). Most of the remainder of the Midwest received less than an inch of rain, with a zone from southeastern Iowa through Lower Michigan receiving less than 0.25 inches of rain. The period included some days of seasonably cool conditions, but was, for the most part, above normal in temperature. The northern tier of the Midwest was 5-8°F above normal, the dry Ohio Valley was 3-6°F above normal, and the rest of the Midwest was near normal (Figure 3). Continued dryness may have hurt the finish of the soybeans slightly, but is now appreciated by farmers who wish to have dry conditions for harvest to begin. Drought conditions held steady in most of the Midwest due to minor precipitation amounts, but intensified considerably in Lower Michigan, where there was an almost total lack of rain during the period (Figure 4).