June 2000 Climate Report for the Midwest Region

     Temperature and Precipitation Anomalies.  Drought conditions
in the Midwest were essentially removed by the 6th wettest June
in the last 106 years.  Only small portions of south central
Missouri and much of western Iowa are still in a moderate drought
state.  Illinois had its 3rd wettest June on record, which is
wetter than June 1993. Indiana and Wisconsin experienced their
7th wettest June, and Missouri had its 9th wettest June, all with
amounts of rain comparable to or exceeding 1993.  The two hardest
hit areas were the region where Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, and
Illinois meet, and in the southern half of Illinois.  Both of
these areas received greater than double their normal June
precipitation total, and experienced widespread flash flooding
and long term river flooding.  Only western Iowa and much of
Minnesota were drier than normal in the northern Midwest, and
south-central Kentucky was drier than normal in the southern
Midwest.

     Due to the rain and clouds, the Midwest had its 28th coolest
June.  Much of Minnesota, Iowa, Missouri, and western Wisconsin
and Illinois were 2-4EF below normal in average temperature. 
Only in parts of Michigan and Indiana, and in all of Ohio and
Kentucky, were temperatures above normal, but by less than 2EF.
June in Minnesota and Missouri was ranked the 18th coldest in 106
years.

     Climate and Agriculture. The extent of drought in the
Midwest has been greatly reduced since the beginning of the
month.  The latest U.S. Drought Monitor issued for July 4 has
completely removed all drought stages from Illinois, most of
Missouri, and much of Iowa.  South-central Missouri continues to
have moderate drought conditions, and west-central Iowa is the
only location in the Midwest with severe drought still ongoing. 
Agriculture is progressing very well in all Midwest states,
except in specific locations that are afflicted by saturated
soils and the surface ponding of water on fields.  The condition
of corn crops is good to excellent over more than 70% of farmland
in the Midwestern states, except for Wisconsin and Michigan,
where cloudy and rainy conditions have held back the crop a bit
under 70%.  Corn is well situated entering the critical
pollination stage, although there is some concern as always about
unseasonable and damaging summer heat during July.  Soybeans, on
the other hand, are lagging behind corn in quality ratings, as
they are more susceptible to damage by saturated or flooded
conditions.  However, the crop is still looking good, and will
likely get the sun it needs to dry out the overly wet fields. 
The MRCC crop models are both indicating median yield projections
for the Midwest this season above 104% of the 1995-99 average for
corn and soybeans.  However, it should be noted that large areas
of Iowa and Missouri still need to continue receiving significant
rain as the critical corn fertilization stage approaches; if
rains cease, subsoil moisture will not carry the crop through an
extended dry period.

     Extreme Events and Impacts.  The month of June started with
an important multi-day rain event from May 31 to June 2.  The
initial storms during the 3-day period reached Wisconsin late in
the afternoon of May 31st; three tornadoes were reported,
including a significant tornado that skipped along the ground for
17 miles and reached a peak intensity of F-2. In addition,
straight-line winds of up to 100-mph covered a wider area, and
accounted for still more damage to buildings, downed trees and
power lines, and other general destruction. While the windstorms
and associated hail were severe, most of the financial losses in
Wisconsin occurred due to flash flooding, river flooding, and
even some mudslides. In Vernon County, in far west-central
Wisconsin, an estimated $4.5 million in damage to roads and crops
occurred due to flooding and mudslides. In DeSoto, WI, a mudslide
buried a home under the Mississippi River bluffs, in addition to
causing considerable road damage. A total of at least $10 million
dollars in damage was tallied in initial state damage surveys.
Because rains returned for the next two days and again on the 5th
and 6th, flooded rivers such as the Fox, Blue, and Kickapoo
sustained levels above flood stage for several days. There were
difficulties with raw sewage discharges in Milwaukee due to the
excessive runoff entering the storm drain / sewage system. The
governor of Wisconsin declared a state of emergency in 16
counties, and this was followed by a Presidential Disaster
Declaration issued on June 23rd.

     In southeastern Minnesota, a smaller geographical area was
affected by flash flooding. The town of Spring Valley was hardest
hit, with floods damaging two dozen homes and several downtown
businesses. General flooding occurred along the Root River, where
river levels reached 3 feet above flood stage in Houston, MN.
Many roads were flooded, washed-out, or buried in mudslides.

     Economic effects of the heavy rains extended beyond direct
damage. Many outdoor activities on the key Memorial Day weekend
were canceled. In northern Illinois, about $2 million in losses
occurred to business near Fox Lake due to the closure of that
lake to recreation during the flooding. Many construction and
landscaping companies were well behind normal work pace in
southern Wisconsin even before the floods arrived, and lost
further time and money during and after the flooding rains.

     The flooding in southern Wisconsin and northern Illinois was
made worse by additional rains during June 11 to 15, and the Rock
River in northeastern Illinois remained above flood stage for
more than two weeks. In northwestern and north-central Illinois,
14,000 acres were reported to be underwater for at least several
days. These areas will not dry in time to be replanted in this
growing season. Meanwhile, flooding also occurred in southern
Illinois and Indiana, where 3-6 inches of rain fell between the
16th and 18th. The Big Muddy River was more than 8 feet above
flood stage on the 18th near Murphysboro, IL.