CHICAGO, June 15 (Reuters) - U.S. corn futures hit their highest levels in nearly two months and soybeans hit a one-month high on Thursday as forecasts for continued dry weather in portions of the Midwest crop belt raised concerns about yield prospects, analysts said.

Chicago Board of Trade (CBOT) wheat futures surged about 5% on short-covering, a softer dollar and stressful weather in Europe.

CBOT July corn settled up 15-1/2 cents at $6.23-1/4 per bushel after reaching $6.26-12, the contract's highest since April 21. July soybeans ended up 40 cents at $14.28-1/4 per bushel after rising to $14.32, their highest since May 9.

CBOT July wheat finished up 31-1/4 cents, or 4.96%, at $6.61-1/2 a bushel.

Analysts cited crop weather as the driving factor. A three-month seasonal drought outlook released on Thursday by the U.S. Climate Prediction Center projected drought persisting or developing from eastern Iowa through much of Illinois, Indiana and Ohio through September.

"It's all weather. The extended maps keep going drier and drier, every time they come out. A good chunk of the Corn Belt is going to be dry," said Sherman Newlin, an analyst with Risk Management Commodities.

A bounce in crude oil, after a slide on Wednesday tied to economic concerns and a U.S. Federal Reserve policy outlook seen as hawkish, also underpinned grains, along with a weaker dollar, which tends to make U.S. grains more attractive globally.

Soybean and soyoil futures drew additional support after the National Oilseed Processors Association (NOPA) said its members processed 177.915 million bushels of soybeans in May, topping most trade estimates and the highest ever level for the fifth month of the year.

In addition, soyoil stocks among NOPA members fell more than analysts expected in May, even though the trade group included data from a new crushing plant in Iowa.

Wheat traders continued to monitor headlines from war-torn Ukraine. The Kremlin on Thursday said it saw no positive prospects when it came to renewing the Black Sea grain export deal given that parts of the accord affecting Russia remained unfulfilled.

Consultancy Strategie Grains lowered its monthly forecast for this year's European Union wheat crop, citing dryness in Spain and northern Europe. (Reporting by Julie Ingwersen; additional reporting by Gus Trompiz in Paris and Rajendra Jadhav in Mumbai; Editing by Sherry Jacob-Phillips, Varun H K, Sonia Cheema and Sandra Maler)