[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Martin weather update
After a rainy start to the week there is some sunny and dry Indiana weather taking hold, but did it get too wet for planters to get back in the farm fields? Chief meteorologist Ryan Martin says for northern Indiana which received most of the Monday rainfall, planting isn’t likely to resume before more rain Friday.
“I think that 2 days may not quite be enough,” he said. “I’ve talked to some guys who ended up with three tenths, four tenths. In those areas maybe we can get an inkling maybe late Thursday afternoon to maybe try it in a few spots. But any place that got half an inch or more, probably this will not be a big enough window. In the southern part of the state where it was just a thunderstorm here or there and then most of the rest of the action was done, even on Tuesday it wasn’t doing anything, there I think we’ve got the planting window that stays open and we can go right along until the action comes up from the south and west.”
Martin says sunshine the next two days could actually serve to increase the risk of thunderstorms. He forecasts rain in the state for Friday through Monday and maybe even beginning as early as Thursday night.
“In that window there I still think we can pick up another half to 2 inches, bringing the total for this entire event going back into Monday to 1-3 inches when all is said and done. If you look at a maximum evaporation rate of about a quarter inch a day, we’re going to have to put together several days in a row to even start to take out some of what has fallen. That being said, starting next Tuesday to Wednesday, in there somewhere we should kick off a dry period after this event is done. I think that goes all the way through the following Monday the 18th.”
The next rain system then comes in on May 19th and stretches 2 or 3 days. But during the 6 days of drying some cooler than normal temperatures could slow the drying process.
“But still,” Martin says, “I would bet toward the end of that drying window we can probably get back at it and get a least of couple of days of field work done, especially in areas that are in the lower end of that 1-3 inch range that we’re talking about.”[/vc_column_text][vc_column_text][acm-tag id=”post_column”][/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row]