After a drier-than-normal July, recent rains have put Indiana on notice for above-normal precipitation. Just two weeks into August, there was enough precipitation to cover the month’s typical August rainfall, and then some. Much of the state received over 400 percent of normal precipitation for the first two weeks of the month, and some locations…Read more about Soaking Rains to End the Summer, And Then Some[Read More]

Aside from southern and far northern Indiana, the rest of the state has generally received below normal precipitation over the past 30 days (Figure 1).  While only a few localized areas show percentages below the 30 percent-of-normal level (one of the factors considered to recommend the Abnormally Dry (D0) classification to the U.S. Drought Monitor…Read more about Dry conditions in the forecast – drought developing?[Read More]

Spring has come and gone. Where has the time gone? Probably all those late nights spent at the youth ballpark. The average spring (March–May) temperature in Indiana was 55.9°F, which was 4°F above the 1991–2020 normal. That tied spring 2026 with spring 2024 as the third-warmest spring on record statewide. March and April did most…Read more about Cool May, Stormy June, Hotter Days Ahead[Read More]

Since last Friday, many parts of Indiana have seen a significant amount of rain (Figure 1).  However, the spatial variability illustrates how there can never be enough ground observations and measurements to tell the entire story.  In a 24-hour period over the weekend, an observer in Lafayette, Indiana recorded 3.58” and yet 3 miles to…Read more about Are cooler, drier conditions in our future?[Read More]

Temperatures across Indiana averaged 2°F below normal during the past 30 days (April 28–May 27) (Figure 1). Warmer-than-normal conditions earlier in April accelerated the start of the growing season, though cooler weather lately slowed Modified Growing Degree Day (MGDD) accumulation. Since April 1, MGDD totals have ranged from about 150 units in northern Indiana to…Read more about Dryness Returns to Northern Indiana as Southern Conditions Improve[Read More]

The first week of May certainly didn’t feel like May as temperatures ended up 5-10°F below normal across the state (Figure 1). Daytime maximum temperatures struggled to reach 60°F across the northern half of the state, while southern areas only saw low 60s for much of the week. Using Indianapolis as a reference point given…Read more about May’s cold start and a pattern change[Read More]

Indiana saw a lot of precipitation the early part of this past week with rainfall totals ranging from 0.5” or greater in the northern and far southwestern counties to over 5” in south-central Indiana.  In fact, an observer just south of Bedford, IN reported a combined total of 5.80”!  Figure 1 shows the 2-day total…Read more about An impressive amount of rain[Read More]

Indiana has exceeded its previous maximum duration record of 46 weeks in drought (since May 20, 2025) since the U.S. Drought Monitor (USDM) began in 2000. The previous record was 44 consecutive weeks.  This was a bit of a surprise when I saw this, since this includes the drought of 2012 and multiple other drought…Read more about An impressive amount of rain[Read More]

If you have any stakes in agriculture, you may have noticed a fairly rapid drying trend as summer has come to a close. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor on September 2, 76 percent of Indiana is considered abnormally dry—up from just 26 percent one week earlier. Moderate drought conditions have also expanded from less…Read more about Abnormally Dry and Drought Conditions Are On The Rise[Read More]