By late July, Indiana had settled into a typical midsummer pattern. Warm, humid days with warm overnight temperatures were common, and scattered thunderstorms left a patchwork of rainfall across the state. Extreme heat was brief, but the steady warmth kept crops progressing at a near-normal pace. Through July 28, accumulated MGDDs ranged from around 1,440 units in far northern Indiana to more than 2,080 units in the southern counties (Figure 1). Despite a cooler start to the growing season in May, July’s warmth allowed much of the state to catch up. Most locations accumulated between 75 and 125 percent of normal MGDDs, and crop development remained generally on schedule. While daytime highs were only modestly above normal from July 1–28, persistently warm overnight lows were the primary driver of July’s above-normal temperatures. Average maximum temperatures were generally 1–4°F above normal across most of the state, while average minimum temperatures were[Read More…]
