Rain answered some prayers in the parched Midwest, where neighbors informed on water wasters by the hundreds, but as the nation buckled under record heat Eastern farmers began worrying that drought conditions were heading their way. More record high temperatures today were expected to burn lingering moisture from drought-choked soil in the nation's farm belt. Temperatures topped the 100-degree mark in 23 states Tuesday, the first day of summer, and set 67 records. However, ``it looks like things will be not quite as hot as they were the last couple days,'' said Hugh Crowther of the National Weather Service in Kansas City, Mo. Meteorologists forecast no major rainfall in the next few days, although widely scattered showers and thunderstorms dampened the central Plains and Great Lakes region this morning, while strong thunderstorms lashed parts of Wisconsin and Michigan. The heat and lack of rain also continued to shrink water levels on rivers, staunching traffic on parts of the Mississippi and Ohio as barges ran aground or became snagged in bottlenecks. ``I can't keep the (Mississippi) river open,'' said Cmdr. Michael Donohoe with the Coast Guard near Memphis, Tenn., where officials expect a towboat traffic jam of up to 1,800 barges. ``Mother Nature is going to make that decision for us.'' In an interview today on ABC-TV's ``Good Morning America,'' Donohoe said the Army Corps of Engineers began dredging the river Tuesday night, and ``we hope to have the channel re-opened by Friday at noon.'' Tuesday, the Army Corps of Engineers managed to free a 26-barge tow that ran aground near Rosedale, Miss., reopening 730 miles of the Mississippi downstream from Memphis to the Gulf of Mexico. Heavy rain fell Tuesday on part of the drought-ravaged northern Plains, but it was scarcely enough to quench dusty pastures. Lightning ignited dry timber and grass in northwestern South Dakota, where firefighters were trying to control two fires that burned a total 6,500 acres. At the Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho, Jack Wilson, director of the Bureau of Land Management, told ``Good Morning America'' he was concerned about the coming forest fire season because of the drought and expected ``a considerable number'' of forests to be closed as the season progresses. Regis Krebs, a farmer from Beckemeyer, Ill., near St. Louis, discovered the fire risk when a spark from his combine set part of his wheat field ablaze. ``He lost a couple acres of wheat in about 10 minutes,'' said Fire Chief Vincent Pollman. ``Everything is bone dry and it went up quickly.'' On the Chicago Board of Trade, drought worries Tuesday drove corn futures prices up to their daily limit for the sixth straight day. Soybean futures also rose sharply while wheat futures retreated. Commodities analysts said the weather service's latest six-to-10 day forecast for hot, dry weather in the Midwest threatened further damage to corn, oat and soybean crops. ``With the corn crop, each week that goes by without rain means another 10 percent is lost,'' said Joel Karlin, an analyst with Research Department Inc. in Chicago. Some estimate anywhere from 10 percent to 30 percent of the U.S. corn crop already has been ruined. Marion Hartman, director of the Ohio Corn Growers Board, said today on the ABC-TV program, ``I don't want to call this a disaster, but it's approaching a disaster. Let's say it's getting critical.'' Hay was so scarce that a hay hot line was started in Dayton, Ohio, for farmers seeking fodder from as far away as Kansas. For the most part those with livestock face the choice of feeding hay stored for the winter, buying feed at higher prices or selling their herds in a falling market. ``I see tears. I see anger,'' said Laura Koenig of Stratford, Wis., who runs a program to help farmers deal with stress. ``I see very tired men, women giving up and walking away, children saying, `I don't want to go in the barn.''' ``There's no hay, no prospect of getting any,'' said O.H. Campbell, 71, of Henderson, Ky. ``I cut about 50 bales. I'm going to use that to feed this summer and then I'm going to sell the herd off.'' Many utilities hit record peak loads Tuesday and asked customers to cut back on electricity. Water use restrictions were widespread, prompting many residents of Oakland County, Mich., to inform on neighbors who violate them, officials said. ``The people have begun to realize the severity of this,'' said Al Beanblossom, assistant manager for the Waterford Township Water and Sewer Department. ``That's why I think people are turning in their neighbors.'' ``We laugh about it,'' Beanblossom said. ``We say, `Here comes another squealer.''' There was little laughter in the East, however, where signs of drought began appearing. Pennsylvania authorities on Tuesday warned the next two weeks are critical. ``Things are drying out pretty quickly out there,'' said Gene Schenck, spokesman for the state Agriculture Department. ``The hot sun and the breeze take the moisture right out of the soil.'' A weekly state survey of 225 farmers and county extension agents showed 80 percent reported their soil was short of moisture last week, Schenck said.
