Same story as last week, up and down air temperatures led to some overall warming of two- and four-inch soil temperatures. After reaching the mid to upper 50s midweek, colder weather over the weekend brought soil temperatures back down into the upper 40s to low 50s (Fig. 1). Although we started this week out with very cold temperatures for this time of year and even snow in areas on Monday, a nice warming trend this upcoming weekend should lead to a decent climb in soil temperatures this week.
Precipitation this month through April 17 (Fig. 2- left) shows that much of the state has picked up less than 2” over this time, with heavier pockets of precipitation from Preble County east to Greene County and north through Champaign County. Overall, much of the state is running 50-90% of normal. However, most locations across Ohio have received precipitation on 12-15 of the first 18 days of the month. Clouds and persistent precipitation do not allow the surface to dry effectively, leading to above normal soil moisture (Fig. 2-right).
For more complete weather records for CFAES research stations, including temperature, precipitation, growing degree days, and other useful weather observations, please visit https://www.oardc.ohio-state.edu/weather1/