Lots of wet days, not a lot of rain It seems to be a big challenge these days to find two or more consecutive days without precipitation. What is interesting is the precipitation isn’t always coming in great amounts, but enough to impact any outdoor plans. For example, will it be dry enough for enough…Read more about Climate & Weather[Read More]
Climate and Weather
Spring temperatures It seems like spring is progressing slowly, and in some respects it is. At this time of the year, the rate of plant development depends largely on temperature. The warmer it is, the faster plants develop. Early in the season we hope for cool weather to slow down bud development. This is so…Read more about Spring temperatures, pollination- a refresher[Read More]
One way we measure how this year’s weather compares with previous years is by looking at the accumulation of “Growing Degree Days” (GDD). This allows us to see if we’re running ahead or behind previous years at the same date. In this graph showing temperatures over the last 12 years in Lafayette, we can see…Read more about Spring conditions[Read More]
Many people, including me, were surprised to look out the window Monday morning and see the ground and trees white with snow. A heck of a way to start the week! Although it looked frightening to see trees, buds and flowers covered in snow, luckily temperatures did not drop too low. In general, lows were…Read more about Easter snowfall[Read More]
Across much of Indiana, March has provided above-normal precipitation (combined rain and melted snow) except for along the Ohio River where precipitation totals were only 25%-50% of what normally fell during March from 1991-2020. Storm systems continued to bring precipitation to the state through the very end of March, likely improving conditions slightly in this…Read more about Wet conditions expected to continue across Indiana[Read More]
A lack of abundant precipitation over the past month has caused abnormally dry conditions to expand across Indiana this week with several counties in central Indiana intensifying to the Moderate Drought stage of the US Drought Monitor (Figure 1). Some intense weather systems passed through the state this week (Figure 2), however, this was not…Read more about Drought intensifying across central Indiana[Read More]
Well, it was a nice 4 weeks with no drought or abnormally dry designated areas across the state. Unfortunately, the lack of rain over the past few weeks have led to browning lawns, cracked soils, and other tell-tale signs that drought may be returning. The US Drought Monitor has designated three areas in Indiana as…Read more about Dry Conditions Have Returned to Indiana[Read More]
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]
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]
The news of the disastrous drought and extreme heat in the western United States (US) have local folks wondering if Indiana might be next. The latest release of the US Drought Monitor map (Figure 1) shows the exceptional drought in the western states as well as the expansion of extreme and exceptional drought in the…Read more about How likely will drought develop or worsen in Indiana?[Read More]