Tropical showers spread from southern and western Texas into the Southwest, easing drought but sparking local flooding. Rainfall totals of 4 to 6 inches or more were common as a low-pressure system—which ran out of open water before becoming a tropical cyclone— moved ashore across southern Texas early in the week.
Later, locally intense downpours struck portions of the Four Corners States. Meanwhile, mid- to late-week showers across the central and southern Plains signaled the end of a hot, dry spell.
According to today's Weather and Crop Bulletin report of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA), rain on the southern Plains arrived too late for most summer crops but replenished topsoil moisture in advance of winter wheat planting and revived drought- ravaged rangeland and pastures.
However, hot, dry weather persisted through week’s end in most areas from the Pacific Coast to the northern Plains, where temperatures broadly averaged at least 5°F above normal.
Some of the most-needed rain fell in the western Corn Belt, which has generally trended hotter and drier than the eastern Corn Belt. Much of the Midwest, Southeast, and Southwest reported slightly below-average weekly readings, although temperatures averaged more than 5°F below normal in portions of the middle Atlantic States.
For the full USDA report for Aug. 23, click here.