Ag Weather Impacts

Ag Weather Impacts

Today is the first full day of fall. Plan on a generally dry west to northwest flow will to bring daytime highs in the lower and mid 70s across the Columbia Basin through Thursday, which is close to normal. Look for a big change this weekend though when a low pressure area will drop south and bring cool Canadian air with mostly rain showers, but snow showers are possible in the higher mountain passes. Rainfall amounts should be mainly a quarter inch or less, so there should be minimal effect on field work and fall harvest. In the meantime though, the dry weather will allow field work and the last cutting of hay to proceed. If you are planning fall plantings, soil temperatures are currently averaging in the lower and mid 60s in the moist soils and upper 60s and lower 70s in the drier soils. Look for soils to cool considerably by early next week and fall into the mid and upper 40s. Germination and early development will be slowed by these cooler air and soil temperatures. Subfreezing air temperatures are possible early next week, so tender crops will likely need to be harvested or protected. These cold temperatures should serve to reduce the bug population however. After the precipitation this weekend, it looks like the first 5 to 7 days of October should be dry.
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