Mid-month showers and thunderstorms provided many Midwestern locations with enough rain to improve topsoil moisture and stabilize crop conditions, well in advance of reproduction. The rain occurred in spite of hot weather, which boosted weekly temperatures more than 10°F above normal across parts of the central and eastern Corn Belt. Farther west, beneficial showers also dotted the northern Plains, with variable rainfall providing drought relief in some areas—including the eastern Dakotas. However, little rain fell across eastern Montana
and portions of the western Dakotas, resulting in further declines in rangeland, pasture, and crop conditions. Meanwhile, mostly dry, increasingly hot weather covered large sections of the central and southern Plains, promoting a rapid pace of winter wheat maturation and harvesting, but boosting irrigation
demands and increasing stress on rainfed crops. Temperatures also averaged as much as 10°F above normal on the central and southern Plains. In contrast, near-normal temperatures and
occasional showers caused some Southeastern fieldwork delays but maintained generally favorable crop conditions.