Ag Weather Impacts

Ag Weather Impacts

Looks like today will be spring's last hurrah across the Columbia Basin as a warming trend beginning Saturday will put temperatures above normal for the next two weeks. Rainfall on Wednesday night and Thursday was mainly a tenth of an inch or less east of Moses Lake to Heppner so only minor delays for field work and hay baling. Isolated light showers are possible again through this evening over mainly the eastern portion of the Columbia Basin and then dry conditions are likely this weekend through next week. Hay cut this weekend will have excellent drying conditions, but there will be increasingly lower afternoon humidity next week, which may limit alfalfa baling to the morning hours. Crop water use for the next 7 days will increase to around two inches for wheat, alfalfa, early potatoes, and onions. Lawns will use about an inch and ¾ . The temperatures next week will be warmest so far this year and may stress some shallow rooted wheat and peas in the flowering and filling stage. Although breezes will hamper chemical applications again today, lighter winds are likely to return Saturday and continue much of next week. Looking a growing degree days base 50 since April 1, we're running close to last years accumulated heat units, but two weeks ahead of the 30 year normal. It appears the heat units will continue to pile up quicker than normal for the forseeable future and crops and pests will likely develop more quickly than normal.
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