Yes, Parts of South Dakota are Dry Again!

If we didn't have weather around these parts, there wouldn't be much to talk about. The fact that the Minnesota Twins aren't playing due to CORONAVIRUS, further magnifies the fact that, without meteorological conversation there'd be a lot of boot and shoelace studying when farmers and ranchers meet. Yes, we talk about the weather, a lot.

Earlier this week I took a call from a farmer who said, boy it's dry out, and the corn is feeling this windy heat. You could hear the concern in his voice. It's been a couple of years since I heard a comment like that, but this year the word dry is sneaking into conversation more and more.  Here in South Dakota, along the Missouri River, some areas picked up nearly 3 inches in in early June. [many areas did deal with severe weather while receiving that rain] Other than those spots, much of the state is ready for cooler weather and rain.

It's not just parts of South Dakota that are feeling the effects of 90 plus temperatures and 30 MPH winds. Western North Dakota is far below normal precipitation for the year. Farmers and ranchers in south central Kansas are also watching the weather closely, waiting for moisture in their area as well.

Weather is a funny thing. It does, what it does and the rain and precipitation that falls, goes where it goes. Those who look to the sky depending on moisture are a hardy, trusting, strong kind of people. In many parts of of the Heartland, they're looking to the sky and wondering again.

A man, much wiser than me used to chat about the weather while killing time between shows at Dakotafest in Mitchell. One wet summer afternoon, after a heavy rain shower had passed he said,

That's the thing about rain, when it stops, you're only a few minutes away from the start of your next drought.

I for one, am hoping we aren't starting a warm hot drought. But it is South Dakota so we won't have to wonder for long. Still I can't help but look at the forecast and the calendar.  Summer doesn't officially start for a couple of days.