It is amazing to think that some part of Indiana has been in at least the Abnormally Dry category of drought on the US Drought Monitor for over a year. While it has not always been the same parts of the state, certainly northern Indiana has been the most consistently dry. Recently, however, the state…Read more about First Time Indiana is Drought Free Since Early June 2020[Read More]
Climate and Weather
As we welcome July, Indiana seems to be in a very wet phase. Or, at least part of the state has been. The jet stream – a narrow band of fast-flowing air near the altitudes where commercial jets fly – naturally meanders in a north-south-north ribbon around the hemispheres. Typically, these “ribbons” also shift eastward…Read more about Storm Tracks Favor Some Parts of Indiana Skipping Others[Read More]
Abnormally dry conditions are still lingering in parts of Indiana (Figure 1) with interest growing on how much the warmer weather might exacerbate the situation. Fortunately, the climate outlooks for the next several weeks and through June are favoring above-normal precipitation (in addition to above-normal temperatures), so hopefully any dry periods will be short lived….Read more about Growing Degree-day Accumulations Still Lag While Dry Conditions Linger[Read More]
It seems the weather pattern may have shifted toward wetter conditions. Over the past week, Indiana has received over an inch of rain and the 7-day forecast is predicting at least another inch (Figure 1) in the central and southern parts of the state. The northern counties of Indiana, that have been in the Abnormally…Read more about More Observers Needed to Monitor Precipitation Across Indiana[Read More]
Vegetable growers, we would like to hear your story about the freeze event on Apr. 20 and 21. What crops are you growing? Did you take protective actions? Did it cause damage on the crops? Hearing your stories would help us better design our extension programs. If you allow, we would like to share your…Read more about Share Your Experience about the Freeze Event[Read More]
There is a frost and freeze warning for 4/20, 4/21, 4/22. Vegetable growers should be prepared to take protective actions on early-planted warm-season vegetables (tomato, cucumber, pepper, summer squash, bean etc.). For high tunnel growers, medium-weight floating row covers should provide sufficient protection. Growers should close the structure when inside temperatures drop below 80°F to…Read more about Frost and Freeze Warning[Read More]
March wrapped up as one of Indiana’s wettest (44th wettest out of 126 years) and warmest (16th warmest). It was marked by unusually warm days and then cool days. Was it ever just average? Certainly, most days fell within the climatological range of temperatures. Precipitation seemed to be partial to the southern part of the…Read more about April Showers or Lingering Drought?[Read More]
After the last several weeks of predominantly dry conditions, the national climate outlooks are finally showing confidence that temperatures should start shifting to cooler than normal and precipitation will be wetter than normal (Figure 1). Hurricane Laura will definitely help the precipitation side of that prediction with current tracks having the strongest rainfall amounts in…Read more about Cooler, Wetter Conditions Expected Over Next Several Weeks[Read More]
Question: What happened to these fruit? Answer: Hail damage. A storm that happened in middle July brought hail to parts of Indiana. Hail hit small fruit, and damage became pronounced as fruit grow. More information about the damage to vegetable crops can be found in the article Hail Damage published in Vegetable Crops Hotline Issue…Read more about Answer to Question from Last Issue (8-13-2020)[Read More]
Rain moved across Indiana earlier this week, bringing much-needed precipitation to the northern counties. Unfortunately, the 30-day rainfall totals are still up to two inches below normal (Figure 1). The southern and southwestern counties are well above normal and could likely use a break for the next few days! Good news for those tiring of…Read more about Monitoring Potential Evapotranspiration Across Indiana[Read More]