Ag Weather Impacts

Precipitation over the weekend and Monday was mainly a tenth of an inch or less. Farms near Connell, Prosser and Ellensburg got the most at close to a quarter inch. Some of the mountain areas got around a half inch of moisture, but this time of year that’s just not enough to keep up with normal. Nearly all of the snowpacks that feed into the Yakima, Columbia, Walla Walla, nd Umatilla Basins are only reporting 20 to 40 percent of average snowpack. Now we are looking at an active weather pattern over the next two weeks that should bring moisture to the mountains and lower elevations as well. The best chances for rain will be tomorrow night and Thursday and then again Friday. Most farms should get between 2 tenth and 4 tenths of an inch with the heavier amounts near the Blue Moutains and west of Ellensburg and Yakima. You can expect some breezy winds to accompany the rain and combine that with temperatures in the mid 30 to mid 40s to give moderate to severe cold stress for exposed newborn and weak animals. Our soil temperatures have warmed 4 to 6 degrees in the last week and are now averaging in the upper 30s and lower 40s. Air temperatures should average a little above normal the rest of the week, so slow development of wheat and cool season pastures can be expected. The outlook for next week into Christmas is calling for precipitation chances to remain higher than usual for the Columbia Basin. This is meteorologist Dennis Hull and that’s your ag weather impacts.