| 7/3/2026 | CO-BO-623 | CO | Boulder |
Moderately Dry
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General Awareness
Agriculture
Plants & Wildlife
Water Supply & Quality
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| We returned to drought conditions in June after May’s brief respite. We recorded only 0.22 inch of precipitation in June, 1.68 inches short of normal, compared with May’s 3.52 inches, more than half an inch above normal. May’s three inches came over four days, May 5th, 6th, 18th, and 19th. So in the 43 days since the last big rain, we’ve had only 0.61 inch. Mean temperatures measured in Longmont* were about 3 degrees above normal for the month, compared with near-normal for May.
Grasses and forbs which had exploded into a sea of green are drying up. Most are not yet dormant, but they are fast approaching dormancy. There has been enough residual moisture for some of the first year grasses to develop seed heads. Grasses are still mostly green, but a lighter shade of green as they dry. Some forbs have dried, especially the bindweed. (Don’t worry, it will be back!) Elk and deer visits have dropped off – in part because the elk have moved into the hills. Flower beds, vegetables, and trees, whose watering schedule we’ve cut back because of Left Hand Water District’s voluntary restrictions, need supplemental hand watering, especially new transplants. The conditions we are seeing now we usually don’t see until mid-to-late-July or even August.
Left Hand Water is still in a Stage 1 (mild) water shortage. We are indirectly affected by smoke from several wildfires in the region, but fortunately, there are no significant fires in our vicinity.
Included are two photos from locations corresponding to last month’s photos, each taken about 2pm on July 2, 2026. Compare these with those in our previous report. One photo is a view of the north pasture looking NE with older and newly seeded grasses. The other looks SW near the rain gauge and hail pad. Trees, shrubs, and gardens are drip irrigated. In April grasses were brown. In May, grasses were bright green or deep blue-green. Now grasses are light blue-green or turning to yellow or brown.
I used the nearest climgrid 30-year precipitation normals, and temperatures from Longmont 2 ESE. I have only been reporting daily precipitation since mid-May, but I’ve been observing and recording it since May 2025. |
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| 7/3/2026 | CO-JF-81 | CO | Jefferson |
Moderately Dry
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Fire
Plants & Wildlife
Water Supply & Quality
|
| No rain for 10+ days, above normal temps, strong winds = increasingly dry. No precipitation in sight. |
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| 7/3/2026 | GA-DK-51 | GA | DeKalb |
Mildly Dry
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General Awareness
|
| Ground is dry and dusty. |
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| 7/3/2026 | IL-DP-189 | IL | Du Page |
Near Normal
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General Awareness
Plants & Wildlife
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| Despite almost 1 inch of rainfall overnight, typical wet spots in yard have no standing water and are not soggy. Appeared to be right on the edge of needing to water perennials just prior to rain. |
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| 7/3/2026 | IL-WL-63 | IL | Will |
Mildly Dry
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Plants & Wildlife
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| No rain in past eight days has caused grass growth to slow and plants to need water, but tomatoes are thriving. Now, finally, I get some rest from the lawn mower. |
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| 7/3/2026 | IL-WM-31 | IL | Williamson |
Mildly Dry
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General Awareness
|
| Ground is dry. Lawns are not growing much. Have had a week of excessive heat (June28-July4) here in Southern Illinois. |
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| 7/3/2026 | LA-CD-12 | LA | Caddo Parish |
Near Normal
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General Awareness
|
| grass growing well, under no burn bands. Precipitation station totals, MTD= 5.21", YTD= 23.99". This date marks 4000 weather reports from my station. |
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| 7/3/2026 | MD-HW-44 | MD | Howard |
Mildly Dry
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General Awareness
|
| Need to water landscaping |
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| 7/3/2026 | MA-WR-41 | MA | Worcester |
Mildly Dry
|
General Awareness
Plants & Wildlife
Water Supply & Quality
|
| early report for this week, 0.52 rainfall so far this week, 2.69 inches for June, hot weather this week has dried things out a bit, lawn growing slowly with brown spots in sunny areas,, local streams and ponds running low, birds, including hummingbirds, busy early mornings and late afternoons, summer night sounds are unusually quiet. |
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| 7/3/2026 | MI-MB-70 | MI | Macomb |
Moderately Dry
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General Awareness
|
| must water by hand everyday. |
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| 7/3/2026 | MN-IT-116 | MN | Itasca |
Severely Dry
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Agriculture
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| Potatoes are up planted 6/4/26. Dust was blowing on field a week ago. .72 inches of rain received in May. June had rain on 14 days but only got 2.26 inches. We farm 15 mile radius from home. Last nights rain ranged from .01 to 1.12 inches across our 80 fields. Home field in picture only got .14 but potato field 5 miles west got 1.09. Field at home has a irrigation permit from the Mississippi but the permits were suspended 6/27/26 so will have to rely on mother nature. Weather pattern is looking better hopefully we are getting positioned in the ring of fire around the heat dome. |
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| 7/3/2026 | MN-YM-18 | MN | Yellow Medicine |
Near Normal
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General Awareness
Agriculture
Business & Industry
Plants & Wildlife
Tourism & Recreation
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| During the week this station recorded nearly 3 inches of rain. Crops are ahead of their normal growth. Wildlife is flourishing. Recreational activities are unhinder. Construction activities are proceeding at a normal pace.
Pictures include, depth reading of the Minnesota River at the footbridge in Granite Falls, in Echo Township a corn with tassels, upward reaching arm and corn plant, culvert on Curtis Lake. |
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| 7/3/2026 | NY-WY-11 | NY | Wyoming |
Mildly Dry
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General Awareness
Agriculture
Plants & Wildlife
|
| Sunny and hot with light winds, then partly cloudy and warm overnight with light winds and a brief shower. The high temperature was around ninety one degrees, and the low around seventy three degrees Fahrenheit. Songbirds are eating a feederful every day. White Clover, Prunella vulgaris, wild daisies, Avens, Soapwort flowers, aqualegia, and Valerian flowers are in full bloom. Corn is 24" - 32" tall. The second cutting of hay is occurring. The local intermittent stream is still flowing but drying up in places downstream and the nearby trout stream is flowing at early summer levels. |
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| 7/3/2026 | NC-WK-203 | NC | Wake |
Severely Dry
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General Awareness
Agriculture
Fire
Plants & Wildlife
Water Supply & Quality
|
| Rainfall for the week was 0.49 inches, which is about half of normal. There is limited surface moisture, but plants remain stressed. Water and burn restrictions remain in place. Water reservoir levels have fallen to about 60 percent. |
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| 7/3/2026 | OH-GG-21 | OH | Geauga |
Mildly Dry
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General Awareness
|
| Past week heat dome over area temperatures in 90deg range humidity levels high 70-75 levels. Little rain .04 for week. Over night dew bringing some relief to grasses and farmers fields which seem to be growing well not affected by heat and humidity in a negative way. |
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| 7/3/2026 | TX-LK-24 | TX | Lubbock |
Mildly Dry
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General Awareness
|
| Recent rains have improved soil moisture significantly. There
are no burn bans in effect but there should be some concern
over the use of fireworks. |
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| 7/3/2026 | TX-WA-31 | TX | Washington |
Near Normal
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Agriculture
Plants & Wildlife
|
| Rain fall has provided for good grazing this spring and summer, tanks are full, cows are in good body condition and calves are growing. Few flies or mosquitos. |
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| 7/3/2026 | TX-WT-37 | TX | Wichita |
Mildly Dry
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General Awareness
Energy
|
| Temperature last few weeks in mid nineties to 100 hundred degrees. No rain past 2 weeks. |
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