Rain Brings Relief and Flooded Fields in the Corn Belt as a Heat Dome Held High Temps in the East

Several rounds of rain struck parts of the Midwest this week.

Iowa fields southwest of Des Moines were under water as isolated rain amounts between 5 and 8 inches fell early in the week. 

Rivers were on the rise and flooding was occurring in fields as soybeans and corn were surrounded by water.

More than 4.5 inches fell in southern Minnesota late in the week. You can see the high water moving across this waterway and field near Brownsdale, Minnesota. 

The weekly rainfall map shows the darkest green band extending from Nebraska to Wisconsin revealing four inches to a foot of rain falling over the past week. 

Much of the area receiving rain was still in some form of drought at the start of the week. 

The Drought Monitor data cutoff is Tuesday morning so rains since then were not reflected as dry conditions remain prevalent in parts of the Cornhusker State up to South Dakota and eastward toward northern Indiana. 

The growing season has thrown some surprises, and meteorologists have been surprised by the amount of rain in the Southern Plains and now Western Corn Belt. 

Weather forecasters report much of the Grain Belt is in a neutral period away from La Nina and El Nino. 

Eric Hunt, University of Nebraska Meteorologist - Extension Educator: “I think that we, through a certain degree, have gotten enough moisture to at least give this year's crop a chance. Now, we still got a good portion of summer to go, and I do think that there are some risks going forward that may look a bit more like 2020.”

A heat dome set up over much of the country this week.

On Tuesday, more than 150 million Americans woke up to heat warnings as dozens of new record high temperatures were set. 

Here in New York City, Broadway was baking. Fountains provided some relief but beaches and parks with shade were popular locations.  Extensive triple digit heat led to slowdowns to infrastructure like the train system. 

Derek Bowman, union carpenter: "Humid, that's the worst. The humidity. The heat sucks. But the humidity is what makes you sweat and feel sticky. And I don't like it." or 

Outdoor work was slowed as construction crews in Boston navigated the harsh conditions.  

For Market to Market, I’m David Miller.