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]
Climate and Weather
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]
The month of May in Indiana was 2°F-4°F below normal across the state, based upon the new 1991-2020 climatological normals that were released last month. Climatological normals are roughly the 30-year average of weather variables and are updated every 10 years. Prior to the new normals being released, climatologists were using the 1981-2010 period for…Read more about Updated climate normals led to a cooler May[Read More]
Growing degree-day accumulations still lag while dry conditions linger Beth Hall Indiana State Climate Office 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…Read more about Weather & Climate[Read More]
Does snow in April mean global warming is not happening? This week, much of Indiana got to see some snow falling as we were hoping that winter weather was behind us. It is not unusual for some to ask when this sort of event happens how “global warming” could be real when things are feeling…Read more about Weather & Climate[Read More]