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US crops bake in searing heat, no relief for weeks
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on July 20th, 2012
Reuters: Midday weather updates indicate extreme heat and drought conditions were set to continue baking already scorched corn and soybean crops in America's breadbasket through early August.
"It's the same old general theme, dry in the southwest Corn Belt and some showers in the north and east," said Drew Lerner, meteorologist for World Weather Inc.
The most expansive drought in over a half century was drying up waterways and beginning to slow down river shipments of commodities to U.S. Gulf export...
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Drought spreads, boosts corn to record price
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on July 19th, 2012
Reuters: The worst drought in a half century will continue to plague most of the U.S. Midwest crop region for at least the next 10 days, with only occasional showers providing some relief mainly in the east, an agricultural meteorologist said on Thursday.
America's top two corn and soybean producing states, Iowa and Illinois, are now in the center of the drought as the dryness spreads to the northwest to leech what little moisture remains in already parched soils.
"It looks a little wetter today for...
Little relief forecast for drought-damaged U.S. crops
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on July 18th, 2012
Reuters: Midday weather updates on Wednesday indicate more hot, dry weather for the U.S. Midwest, where corn and soybean crops are rapidly deteriorating amid the harshest drought in more than half a century.
"It's a little wetter for next week in the west and southwest but even if the rains fall they would only be 0.50 inch or less so not much relief and confidence is low in that forecast," said Don Keeney, a meteorologist for MDA EarthSat Weather.
Keeney said some rains over the next few days would...
Worst drought since 1956 shrivels corn, soy crops
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on July 17th, 2012
Reuters: An expanding drought, now deemed the worst since 1956, dealt another blow to the corn crop, with conditions deteriorating for a second straight week in the world's top exporter of the grain, government data showed on Monday.
There were signs that the drought, which has been centered in the Midwest, was expanding north and west, putting more crops at risk including in states like Nebraska where large tracts of cropland are irrigated by groundwater and rivers.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric...
Drought stress continues on crops despite showers
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on July 16th, 2012
Reuters: Small amounts of rain this week and early next week in about 70 to 75 percent of the U.S. Midwest crop belt will provide some relief to deteriorating corn or soybean crops from the relentless and spreading drought, meteorologists said on Monday.
"There's no huge change in the forecast today, maybe a little more favorable for crops but we couldn't have gotten much worse," John Dee, a meteorologist for Global Weather Monitoring, said.
Dee said a weather front would move into about 75 percent...
U.S. crops wilting despite scattered Midwest rains
Posted by Reuters: Sam Nelson on July 14th, 2012
Reuters: Scattered rains over the last 24 hours provided little relief for U.S. Midwest corn and soybean crops that are rapidly deteriorating in the worst drought since 1988, and the forecast is for scant rain for the next two weeks, meteorologists said on Saturday.
"Overall the rain yesterday won't put a dent in the drought because they were spotty hit or miss kind of rains. Certainly some isolated areas will benefit, but it was not a significant drought buster," said AccuWeather meteorologist Dan Pydynowski....