The July 7 drought monitor shows 67.0% of the U.S. is experiencing abnormal dryness or drought, unchanged from the previous week, with 47.2% in D1 level drought or higher, down 0.6 percentage point. Currently 19% (unchanged) of corn acres are in D1-D4 drought with 19% (unchanged) of soybean acres, and 19% (unchanged) of spring wheat acres also impacted. For livestock, 46% (up 1 percentage point) of the U.S.cattle herd is in D1-D4 drought conditions with 31% (down 1 percentage point) of dairy cattle also in drought.
Significant precipitation was seen from the northern Rockies into the upper Midwest and parts of the Great Lakes regions, but rainfall coverage and intensity decreased across the remainder of the central and eastern U.S. Heat accompanied a modest drying trend from the central and southern Plains into the middle and southern Atlantic states. With heat building across the central and eastern U.S., temperatures soared to 100°F or higher as far north as the central High Plains and were frequently observed in the middle Atlantic coastal plain, according to the Weekly Weather and Crop Bulletin.
The National Weather Service 7-day forecast calls for a broad upper-level ridge to expand and strengthens over the central U.S. next week, leading to a “significant and dangerous heat wave” across the Northern Plains this weekend into next week. A mid-level disturbance will stall out over the Southeast, generating scattered storms and locally heavy rainfall for the region through midweek. The forecast said mid-level vortices propagating north out of Mexico will carry waves of monsoonal moisture and storms to the Southwest/Four Corners next week.
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Drought in Select Row Crop States (%)
| State | None | D0 (Abnormally Dry) | D1 (Moderate) | D2 (Severe) | D3 (Extreme) | D4 (Exceptional) |
| Arkansas | 9.10 | 21.31 | 46.95 | 12.42 | 8.53 | 1.68 |
| Colorado | 1.68 | 7.26 | 9.50 | 37.77 | 33.76 | 10.03 |
| Iowa | 68.59 | 21.37 | 10.04 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Illinois | 89.75 | 9.24 | 1.01 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Indiana | 100.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Kansas | 59.49 | 13.75 | 19.72 | 7.04 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Kentucky | 63.60 | 16.98 | 13.24 | 6.18 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Michigan | 93.52 | 6.48 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Minnesota | 25.26 | 45.68 | 17.60 | 11.46 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Montana | 14.10 | 32.99 | 32.33 | 19.98 | 0.61 | 0.00 |
| North Dakota | 67.80 | 23.40 | 8.45 | 0.35 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Nebraska | 11.50 | 14.33 | 13.41 | 34.92 | 22.19 | 3.64 |
| Ohio | 97.79 | 2.21 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| South Dakota | 13.85 | 38.13 | 30.00 | 13.38 | 4.63 | 0.00 |
| Tennessee | 18.42 | 43.57 | 25.47 | 12.55 | 0.00 | 0.00 |
| Texas | 52.03 | 17.04 | 19.64 | 9.52 | 1.77 | 0.00 |
| Wisconsin | 40.14 | 58.89 | 0.97 |