Indiana farmers gearing up for harvest can expect a tale of two weather patterns over the coming days, with northern counties facing continued wet conditions while the south sees lighter precipitation.
Chief Meteorologist Ryan Martin in his first harvest weather forecast of the season, presented by Beacon Credit Union, points to a stark divide split roughly along Interstate 70 through Tuesday.
“I think from I-70 north, we could see anywhere from an inch or two of additional rain here, as another at least one strong wave of moisture moves through, potentially two,” Martin says.
In contrast, southern Indiana continues to feel the outer influence of a large ridge anchored over the Deep South and the Tennessee and Ohio Valleys, keeping totals lower.
“We’ve been dominated by the fringe of this heat dome that’s been dominating weather down over the Deep South,” Martin explains. “It pushes us back to where we get some rain over the weekend through Monday, Tuesday, but definitely not nearly as much as up north. So while we see one to two inches up north, maybe a quarter to three-quarters down south, all days combined.”
Midweek Outlook: Dry-Down Dependent on Eastward Track
Conditions are expected to dry out from Wednesday through Sunday, Sept. 27, though the exact pace of field drying will depend on how quickly low pressure clears the region.
“It really comes down to where low pressure wants to set up once it moves through our region to start the week,” Martin adds. “If it kind of blasts right on through the East Coast, I think we’re good, we’re dry, we’re cool, we’re pleasant—great evaporation, good dry-down. If this low kind of stalls, which there have been a few suggestions it will, a little bit farther to our east, then we end up with more clouds. I still don’t think a lot of moisture, but we don’t dry nearly as fast.”
Looking Ahead to October
For the week of Sept. 28, Martin expects dry harvest weather to hold through midweek. As the calendar turns to October, a minor upper-level trough moving across the Great Lakes could bring scattered, hit-and-miss showers.
Behind that system, Martin is already watching a larger weather maker developing out west that could disrupt harvest operations heading into October.
“Most of the rest of the country will be dry. I am going to point to a large area of low pressure out in southern Montana around the first into the second,” Martin says. “That may be able to draw some moisture and give us some big-time rains getting ready to move into the first full week of October.”
The forecast was presented by Adam Renbarger with Beacon Credit Union, who wished producers across the state a safe and successful harvest season.
