Soil Temperatures and Moisture
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.
Depite a few mornings with sub-freezing temperatures last week, a strong late week warming trend sent daily average soil temperatures up in the upper 50s to mid 60s (Figure 1). Current forecast trends indicate that warm weather should keep soil temperatures mild this week.
Precipitation totals were lighter this week as well, with much of the state picking up 0.10-0.50” of rain over the previous 7 days ending April 29, 2024 (Figure 2). The heaviest (up to 2”) fell across northwestern counties (e.g., Van Wert and Defiance Counties). Warm temperatures and wind gusts to 35 mph for several days led to a significant decrease in soil moisture compared to earlier in the month, allowing for a notable increase in field activities.
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Figure 2: (Top) Precipitation (inches) for the 7-day period ending April 29, 2024 courtesy of the Advanced Hydrologic Prediction Service. (Bottom) Calculated soil moisture percentiles as of 4/28/2022 according to the Climate Prediction Center. |
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
The weather started off beautifully on Monday, with fair skies and highs in the mid 70s to low 80s. Afternoon and evening clouds rolled in, with rain showers and a few storms arriving Monday night. Showers will continue on Tuesday, with clearing later in the day from west to east. Highs will be a bit cooler on Tuesday as well, in the upper 60s to mid 70s. Mostly sunny skies will dominate on Wednesday and Thursday with highs in the upper 70s to mid 80s (north to south). Another system will move in on Friday with showers and storms with highs in the 70s. This front will try to stall out over the region for the weekend with scattered showers and storms possible and highs in the 70s. No sub-freezing temperatures are expected this week, with only about a 20-50% chance (south to north) historically of seeing a 32°F temperature after April 28 (not a forecast). Overall, the Weather Prediction Center is currently forecasting 0.25-1.50” of precipitation over the next 7 days, with the heavier amounts close to the Ohio River (Figure 3).
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Figure 3). Precipitation forecast from the Weather Prediction Center for 8pm Monday April 29 – 8pm Monday May 6, 2024. |
The 6-10 day outlook from the Climate Prediction Center and the 16-Day Rainfall Outlook from NOAA/NWS/Ohio River Forecast Center show a strong likelihood for above average temperatures continuing with probabilities learning toward above average precipitation (Figure 4). Climate averages include a high-temperature range of 67-72°F, a low-temperature range of 45-50°F, and weekly total precipitation of 0.90-1.20”.
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Figure 4) Climate Prediction Center 6-10 Day Outlook valid for May 5 – 9, 2024, for left) temperatures and right) precipitation. Colors represent the probability of below, normal, or above normal conditions. |