With only spotty rains across most areas of the State, farmers had 6.0 days suitable for fieldwork during the week ending June 20, according to the USDA, National Agricultural Statistics Service. Field activities included spraying post emergence herbicides, side dressing nitrogen, and harvesting hay.
Topsoil moisture levels statewide rated 25 percent very short, 39 percent short, 35 percent adequate and 1 percent surplus. In west central Iowa topsoil moisture levels rated 20 percent very short, 47 percent short, and 33 percent adequate.
Subsoil moisture levels across Iowa rated 23 percent very short, 46 percent short, and 31 percent adequate. Ratings in west central Iowa were 24 percent very short, 56 percent short, and 20 percent adequate.
Crops showed signs of stress from the lack of precipitation and high heat. Farmers reported corn curling and ground cracking in some areas. Iowa’s corn condition rated 56 percent good to excellent, 7 percentage points below the past week. Soybean emergence was 96 percent complete, one week ahead of the 5-year average.
Across the state, 7 percent of soybeans were blooming, also one week ahead of normal. There were scattered reports of soybeans setting pods. Soybean condition declined to 57 percent good to excellent. Oats headed or beyond reached 74 percent with 13 percent turning color, one week ahead of the 5-year average. Iowa’s oat condition rated 54 percent good to excellent.
The first cutting of alfalfa hay reached 95 percent complete, nine days ahead of normal. There were scattered reports of farmers completing a second cutting. Hay condition continued to fall to 49 percent good to excellent, 6 percentage points below last week. Pasture condition also continued to drop this week to 37 percent good to excellent. Heat and continued dry conditions are stressing livestock.
Weather summary provided by Justin Glisan, Ph.D., Ssate climatologist, Iowa Department of Agriculture and Land Stewardship – Through the middle of the month, much of Iowa experienced the driest start to June on record as unseasonably warm temperatures and low relative humidity gripped the state. The statewide average temperature was 75.6 degrees, 4.8 degrees warmer than normal. With drought conditions persisting across Iowa, a shifting storm track brought much-needed rainfall to most of Iowa’s reporting stations along with severe weather, though precipitation deficits of up to 1.25 inches were reported in northeastern Iowa; only portions of southern Iowa reported above-average rainfall.
Afternoon temperatures on Sunday, June 13, reached into the low to mid-90s with variable winds under a sunny sky. Overnight lows remained unseasonably warm, ranging in the low 60s to low 70s. Isolated, light showers pushed into northwest Iowa early on Monday as temperatures moderated from the previous day, generally in the 80s with a few passing clouds and a light breeze.
With a large-scale high pressure dome parked over the Midwest and low dew points, morning lows into Tuesday, June 15, ranged from the 50s northwest to low 60s southeast. Dry air and sunshine allowed temperatures to rise into the upper 80s and low 90s with reports of spotty haze in northeastern Iowa. Widely scattered thundershowers developed in western Iowa before sunrise on Wednesday as winds shifted to the south through the day boosting afternoon highs into the low 90s west to mid-80s east. Additional storms, some strong to severe, fired in northwestern Iowa during the late evening hours producing hail and strong winds from Buena Vista County south to Audubon County. Rain totals reported on Thursday, June 17, showed widespread rainfall across a swath of western Iowa with lighter totals east as showers and thunderstorms moved through central and southern Iowa; Anita (Cass County) reported 0.78 inch while Manning (Carroll County) observed 0.96 inch with general accumulations of a few tenths of an inch at a majority of stations experiencing rain. Afternoon conditions were sweltering across much of Iowa with several stations reporting triple-digit temperatures; the statewide average high was 95 degrees, 14 degrees warmer than normal.
A low pressure system propagating across northern Iowa produced stronger thunderstorms just before midnight and through Friday morning, June 18. Additional showers formed during the day as the atmosphere over southern Iowa destabilized into the evening hours, partially due to afternoon temperatures reaching into the 80s under clear skies and higher humidity. Severe thunderstorms formed in this environment with several large hail and straight-line wind reports south of Interstate 80; 2.50-inch diameter hail was reported near Lake Red Rock (Marion County) while severe straight-line winds flattened corn around Milton (Van Buren County). Rain totals at 7 am on Saturday, June 19, were heaviest near the Iowa-Missouri border with almost 30 stations measuring an inch or more; six stations in Davis County reported more than two inches with a gauge in Drakesville dumping out 3.54 inches.
Another strong low pressure system pushed across Iowa overnight into Sunday, producing widespread and much-needed rainfall across most of Iowa with only 15 stations receiving no rain. The statewide average rainfall was 0.40 inch with Little Sioux (Harrison County) observing 2.10 inches; nearly 20 stations reported over an inch of water.
Weekly precipitation totals ranged from no accumulation at a few Iowa stations to 3.56 inches in Mediapolis (Des Moines County). The statewide weekly average precipitation was 0.68 inch while the normal is 1.32 inches. Little Sioux (Harrison County) observed the week’s high temperature of 104 degrees on June 17, 20 degrees above normal. Elkader (Clayton County) reported the week’s low temperature of 49 degrees on the June 15, nine degrees below normal.
