Spring 2024 Weather & Soil Conditions: Update 3

Soil Temperatures and Moisture

Daily average soil temperatures jumped 5-10°F this week due to warmer conditions, randing from the low 50s in Ashtabula to as warm as 57°F at Western in Clark County (Figure 1).

Figure 1: Daily average air temperature (dashed red), two-inch (green) and four-inch (blue) soil temperatures for spring 2024. Soil type and location of measurements (under sod or bare soil) are provided in the lower right corner of each panel. A map of all locations is in the bottom right. Data provided by the College of Food, Agricultural, and Environmental Sciences (CFAES) Agricultural Research Stations located throughout the state.

Another active weather week brought widespread 1.5-3” of rain to the Buckeye State (Figure 2). Some small creeks and streams flooded again, with high flows on all the major rivers. Minor flooding is occurring or expected to occur along most of the Ohio River hampering river barge traffic. Soils are saturate, especially across northern counties (Figure 2). Conditions are likely to remain fairly wet with another week of near to above normal rainfall this week.

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/.

Weather Forecast

We started the week with warm dry conditions for all but far northeastern Ohio, where cooler conditions lingered after some last Sunday night rainfall. A front near the Ohio River will begin to push north on Tuesday bringing a few scattered showers to the region and highs in the 60s and 70s. This front will push north of the state on Wednesday leading to widespread showers and storms, some of which may be severe. A cold front will push through Wednesday night and Thursday, with a secondary cold front bringing a few showers back to the area on Friday. Highs will trend downward into the 50s and 60s on Thursday and Friday. High pressure will slowly take control over the weekend into early next week with even cooler conditions possible. The state should be aware of potential frost and/or freeze conditions for Sunday and Monday mornings. Overall, the Weather Prediction Center is currently forecasting 0.5-1.25” of precipitation over the next 7 days, with isolated heavier amounts (Figure 3).

The 6-10 day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center and the 16-Day Rainfall Outlook from NOAA/NWS/Ohio River Forecast Center show below average temperatures are likely with near average precipitation (Figure 4). Climate averages include a high-temperature range of 61-67°F, a low-temperature range of 39-45°F, and weekly total precipitation of 0.85-1”.

Figure 4) Climate Prediction Center 6-10 Day Outlook valid for April  21  - 25, 2024, for left) temperatures and right) precipitation. Colors represent the probability of below, normal, or above normal conditions.