Drought in Wisconsin, August 1 to 11, 2002

This drought period in August, 2002, (rated as D0 to D1 - abnormally dry to a mild drought), over south-central and southeast Wisconsin, was a continuation from a drought that began on July 1, 2002. Many farmers saw their corn crop wither, and there were reports that soybeans stopped growing or the pods stopped filling. Alfalfa hay cutting also suffered. Grass growth slowed dramatically, or stopped altogether. Most locations received less than 1 inch of rain for the first 11 days of August. In fact, Milwaukee Mitchell Field only had one day of measurable rainfall (.24 inch) in the first 11 days of August, and Madison's Truax Field only had .61 inch on only one day as well. The area from eastern Rock County east to the western parts of Racine and Kenosha counties continued to be the driest in southern Wisconsin. Newspaper reports indicated that agricultural experts expected the corn crop yield at harvest time in the fall may only be 1/2 to 2/3 of normal, and the outlook for soybeans was worse. Sweet corn yields were expected to be 20 to 30 percent below normal. Some farmers reported that their wheat crop died. Large cracks developed in many fields and the grasshopper populations were above normal. In addition, flowage (cfs) on most rivers and streams was only 15 to 25 percent of normal for early August. Maximum temperatures on August 1st and 11th were in the lower to middle 90s across southern Wisconsin; otherwise maximum readings were only in the 70s and 80s in between. For Summer 2002, Milwaukee Mitchell Field had 19 days with maximum temperatures of 90 or higher (7 in June, 9 in July, and 3 in August), while Madison's Truax Field had 11 days (3 in June, 6 in July, and 2 in August).