FIRST HALF OF JUNE COOLER AND WETTER

Rainy days and colder-than-usual temperatures have been the norm so far in June.

From June 1 to 15, the Automated Surface Observing Station at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport recorded varying amounts of rain on nine days. It rained again Monday.

"And there's more of the same through Thursday," said Kelly Hooper, meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Paducah, Ky.

Hooper said there is a 50 percent chance of rain today and that Wednesday and Thursday would be the worst two days, with chances of thunderstorms. He said Friday should bring a high-pressure system, which would mean clearing weather.

Temperatures were below normal every single day of June through June 15, said Hooper. Readings ranged from 13 degrees below normal on June 1 to 3 degrees below normal on June 3. Temperatures on the other 13 days averaged 6 degrees below normal.

Gerald Bryan, agronomy specialist with the University of Missouri Extension Office in Jackson, said the cold, wet weather has hurt area crops.

"The effect we're seeing is mostly on corn, where the lack of sunlight and the cooler temperatures, along with the saturated soils, are causing numerous problems," said Bryan.

Yellow corn plants have resulted, said Bryan, which is indicative of a nitrogen deficiency and a lack of oxygen due to the saturated soil.

Corn plants are below normal in growth, Bryan said. "There will be somewhat lower yields due to stunted growth," he said.

Soybeans are doing better than corn, Bryan said, "although nothing grows well in water-logged soil."

Milo, Bryan said, is a hot-weather crop. "We're seeing poor seedling development and diseases in milo due to the cool, wet weather," he said.

Bryan said that fellow agronomists farther south tell him that some cotton is already being replanted due to the weather.