Finally some drydown conditions
There is finally good news for Indiana farmers in the new Seed Consultants planting forecast. A period of dry weather, and some warmer conditions too, is starting to take hold. How long will that dry window last after on and off rains again this week? Ryan Martin is HAT Chief Meteorologist.
“It does look like we’re going to be settling in for about seven days worth of dry weather,” he says. “I’m looking for a complete dry weekend and a complete dry week next week through at least Thursday. Now where things get interesting will be as we go through Thursday night and into Friday. I’m seeing a system developing in the Plains that wants to come in. I had been hopeful that maybe we could miss it, but the moisture footprint now seems to be bigger, it seems like a decent moisture source. So, as we go through this upcoming Thursday night and into Friday we’re probably going to be seeing quarter to maybe 1-inch rains try and fall across the Hoosier state. That will effectively end the dry window.”
But the important point is the week of dryness expected before that new system. The other good news is normal to below normal temperatures in the last few weeks are likely coming to a halt, according to Martin.
“South wind flow is going to start to work in on Sunday, and then as we go through the Monday-Wednesday timeframe, we’re looking for good south winds to buffet temperatures up quite a bit. As a matter of fact, as we head toward mid-week this upcoming week, I think we’re going to be knocking on the door of eighty degrees across a good chunk of the state. That right there will really help drying and we’re also going to see evaporation rates max out this week. Probably around a quarter of an inch of moisture leaving per day. That’s through Thursday midday before the next rains do come in.”
In much of the state this should all translate to more field work getting started again this coming week. Martin says another dry period should move in a week from now after that rain system, starting late next Friday. He says the dryness could last into early the following Monday, May 22nd.
Sign up at www.hoosieragtoday.com to receive Martin’s full planting forecast each Saturday, sponsored by Seed Consultants and Kokomo Grain.