
While the remnants of Hurricane Barry brought some much-needed precipitation to the state, the next few weeks look to be on the dry side.
While the remnants of Hurricane Barry brought some much-needed precipitation to the state, the next few weeks look to be on the dry side.
It seems someone left the oven on, again! Temperatures, so far, for July have been several degrees above normal (Figure 1) and with relatively calm winds and little precipitation, the warm temperatures during the day can feel brutal.
When I was very young, I remember my father talking about “knee high by the Fourth of July”.
Outlook into early next week looks favorable for a dry weekend, but chances for precipitation around the state pop back up around Tuesday.
Some weeks I wonder if I could just re-use the previous week’s weather and climate article! The story seems to be the same: It’s been wet and more rain is expected.
After a welcomed break in the rain for most of the state over the last 7-10 days, that window will close again by this weekend. In fact, the 7-day precipitation forecast (Figure 1) is predicting 2”-4” across Indiana by next Thursday (June 20th). Beyond that date, the climate outlook is showing strong confidence that above-normal precipitation amounts will continue through the following week (June 25th) and into early July. Be prepared for pooling water and potential flash flooding! How unusual has this spring been for Indiana? Believe it or not, this past March-May came in as the 11th wettest spring (15.52”) with respect to the 1895 through 2019 (125 years) time period! The record spring was in 2011 when 19.58” fell across the state (Figure 2). What is interesting to consider is in 2011, after the record-breaking March-June precipitation, the rain all but stopped falling for July through October (Figure[Read More…]
As we close the doors on May for the year, one of the biggest stories throughout the month was the precipitation. The entire state was above normal. Northwestern Indiana was 3.41” above normal and southeastern Indiana was 0.18” above normal for the month (Figure 1). Temperatures were near normal in the northern and above normal in the central and southern tiers of the state. Some stations in Central Indiana recorded rainfall on 24 out of 31 days.
The story of excessive rain and soil moisture continues and the 7-day precipitation forecast suggests this wet pattern will continue (Fig. 1). When looking at the precipitation percent of mean for May 1-30, 2019, the southern half of the state received near normal amounts.
So far for the month of May, temperatures across the state vary by nearly 2˚F above normal in the southeast and almost 3˚F below normal in the extreme northwest. Similarly, the same trends can be seen in the Modified Growing Degree Days as they are based on temperature (Fig 1). The main story continues to be the precipitation for most of the state. Since January 1, precipitation is between 3 to 9 inches above normal in spots. Adding observed near normal to slightly above normal precipitation for the month in some areas is really delaying folks in the agriculture industry (Fig 2). Looking at the short term outlook from the Climate Prediction Center (Fig 3 & 4), much of the state has above normal chances for seeing above normal temperatures and precipitation over the 6 to 10 day and 8 to 14 day outlooks. Our active weather pattern doesn’t[Read More…]
Near term, Sunday looks like the next most likely precipitation event around the state. The active pattern seems to continue, with chances of rain continuing about every 3-4 days. Meanwhile, temperatures begin to trend more summer-like, with 80 degree days coming statewide, and likelihood for above average temperatures in the 6-10 day outlook high (see map, cpc.ncep.noaa.gov). Important to note: high temperatures and excessive moisture favor many different kinds of disease and insect development. Scout any crops that have been planted for disease development or infestation and act accordingly. Contact your local Purdue Extension office for help in identifying problems or economic thresholds for treatment.
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