Midwest Weekly Highlights - August 8-14, 2003

---

Cool weather continues into the middle of August. Drought conditions worsen in western Missouri

A large trough of low pressure aloft kept much of the Midwest cooler than normal again this week (Figure 1). The exception to the cool weather was in northern Minnesota and northern Wisconsin, where temperatures were 3-6 degrees above normal (Figure 2). This was the result of the western ridge building into the northern Midwest. Rainfall was scattered but locally heavy throughout the week (Figure 3). Over the past 30 days precipitation has been near to above normal across the eastern half of the region, but well below normal over the western half of the region (Figure 4).

Daily scattered showers and thunderstorms developed in the cool unstable air underneath the trough. There was no organized severe weather, but isolated severe storms occurred in Minnesota, Michigan, Indiana, and Ohio. Many of the storms were heavy rain producers, and flash flooding continued to plague many locations. On August 9^th a slow-moving thunderstorm dumped 4.80 inches of rain on Albert Lea, MN, with a narrow band of 1 to 3 inches across central Freeborn County, MN (Figure 5). Several locations in northern Ohio reported numerous roads flooded, and significant urban flooding was reported in Youngstown. On August 11 heavy thunderstorms caused flash floods in Grayson, Rowan, Pulaski, and Estill Counties in central and eastern Kentucky (Figure 6).

Much of west-central and northwestern Missouri through southwestern Iowa has been hot and dry this summer, and the prolonged dry weather is taking its toll on agriculture in the area (Figure 7). The U.S Drought Monitor indicates that D3 level drought (Extreme) now exists over northwestern Missouri (Figure 8). Reports from farmers in northwestern Missouri indicate that corn yields will be less than 10 bushels an acre in a large portion of the region. Pastures are brown (Figure 9), and soybeans are showing signs of stress as pod-filling approaches. Wells and farm ponds are drying up and many farmers are hauling water.  The Missouri Agricultural Statistics Service reports that as of August 11 topsoil moisture in the Northwest Crop Reporting District was 72% very short, 23% short, and only 5% adequate.