Hot, Dry Forecast to Linger

How long will this hot, dry forecast last? HAT Chief Meteorologist Ryan Martin says it could be dry for quite some time for many in Indiana. Barring some spotty pop-up thunderstorms beginning next Wednesday and Thursday, he believes some parts of the state could be dry for the next two weeks.

Martin says the combination of hot and dry weather will make it tough for corn pollination.

“Corn needs to have decent temperatures for pollination. We’ve seen over the years, and agronomists will tell you, when you get excessive heat during pollination, that leads to incomplete pollination or things that are problematic. So, to me, the dryness is less of a story. The heat is more of a story. The problem is when you’re talking about them together, it’s an issue.”

So, how hot will it be?

“I think we’re going to be looking at temperatures in the upper 80s to probably mid-90s right on through this week. I actually think, even if we do see pop-up thunderstorms that will pull temperatures back a few degrees, we’re still talking mid-80s to lower 90s.  When you put the humidity in there, it’s going to feel a lot worse to us as human beings and animals; plants don’t care so much about the humidity,” says Martin.

“Any way you slice it, we’re probably averaging 5 to 10 degrees above normal, I think, through the entire month of July, and precipitation is going to be below normal for the entire month of July.”

Martin’s forecast is available in our daily podcast by clicking the play button below and on iTunes.