Across the Corn Belt, mostly dry weather accompanies a warming trend. In fact, Friday’s high temperatures should range from around 85° in the Ohio Valley and the lower Great Lakes region to near 100° in parts of the far upper Midwest. The hot weather is promoting a rapid pace of corn and soybean development, but further reducing topsoil moisture in areas of the northern Corn Belt already experiencing some dryness.

On the Plains, blazing heat across Montana and the Dakotas contrasts with pleasant temperatures across the southern half of the region.

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