The latest Drought Monitor was released today, and it shows that across the Southeast, abnormally dry (D0) and moderate (D1) drought expanded due to the light rainfall and high temperatures that were experienced under a strong dome of high pressure. For agricultural producers, the hot and dry conditions could not come at a worse time for pollinating corn, and the Crop Progress Report noted that some dryland corn producers in western GA have probably lost their crops this year due to the torrid conditions. In Puerto Rico, the overall coverage of dry conditions stayed the same but the drought got worse as the area of severe (D2) drought expanded. Continued hot conditions and little rain in the next week will most likely lead to further degradation next week.
