CHICAGO, June 25 (Reuters) – Storms crossing the U.S. Corn Belt in the last day dumped up to 7 inches (17.8 cm) of rain in parts of Iowa and Missouri, and another system was poised to soak Missouri through southern Ohio later this week, a meteorologist said Thursday.
“The area that got pounded the hardest last night was a strip through central Iowa down to the northeast corner of Missouri,” said David Streit, a meteorologist at the Commodity Weather Group.
Normally rains in June are a benefit to the region’s corn and soybean crops. But frequent showers this month have saturated fields in parts of Missouri, Illinois and Indiana, raising concerns about lost yield potential.
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The U.S. Department of Agriculture reported surplus topsoil moisture in 64 percent of Missouri, 61 percent of Indiana and 56 percent of Illinois as of June 21, before the latest round of storms.
“There are some areas I have heard in Indiana where they are starting to talk about root rot and things like that,” Streit said. “We have definitely got some wet spots that will continue to have some issues as far as shallow-rooted crops, which we are going to have to watch if we ever were to get into a warmer, drier spell,” he added.
Another storm system developing Thursday in South Dakota should cross the Midwest through Saturday, generating one to three inches of rain in Missouri and southern portions of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio, Streit said.
Conditions should dry out Sunday through next Thursday. Temperatures remain mild in most of the Midwest.
