Happy April 21th/Easter! Do something to make somebody feel GREAT today. Don't just think about it........do it. Then think about it.............and how you just made somebody's world a tiny bit greener.
Our local chess tournament last month got some great coverage. I'm extraordinarily proud of the kids and also the adults that helped run this event:
Scroll down and enjoy the latest comprehensive weather to the max...... occurring because of the natural physical laws in our atmosphere. Planting weather continues to improve the next 2 weeks, especially in IOWA.............consistent with the forecast since last Monday.
Here are the latest hazards across the country.
Purple/Pink/blue on land is cold/Winter weather. Brown is wind, Green is flooding. Gray is fog. Reddish is a red flag advisory.
Go to the link below, then hit the location/county on the map for details.
https://www.spc.noaa.gov/ Go to "hazards"
Wind map Hit this with your cursor:
Wind map Press down on this on the left with your cursor!
Current Jet Stream
| Low Temperatures Tomorrow Morning |
Brief Chilly Shot departs quickly on Easter Sunday.
Highs for days 3-7:
Pretty warm this week..
Average Temperature anomalies for days 3-7:
Widespread above average .
https://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/medr/medr_mean.shtml
Weather maps for days 3-7 below
Weak systems this week. Mostly light rains in the main Cornbelt, some places a bit more.
Last 24 hour precip top map
Last 7 day precip below that
Liquid equivalent precip forecasts for the next 7 days are below.
New rains this week...............variable amounts!
Day 1 below:
http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/fill_94qwbg.gif?1526306199054
Day 2 below:
http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/fill_98qwbg.gif?1528293750112
Day 3 below
http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/fill_99qwbg.gif?1528293842764
Days 4-5 below:
http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/95ep48iwbg_fill.gif?1526306162
Days 6-7 below:
http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.gov/qpf/97ep48iwbg_fill.gif?1526306162
7 Day Total precipitation below:
http://www.wpc.ncep.noaa.govcdx /qpf/p168i.gif?1530796126
Severe Storm risk
Current Day 1 Outlook | Forecaster: Thompson/Squitieri Issued: 20/1624Z Valid: 20/1630Z - 21/1200Z Forecast Risk of Severe Storms: No Svr Tstms |
Current Day 2 Outlook | Forecaster: Broyles Issued: 20/0546Z Valid: 21/1200Z - 22/1200Z Forecast Risk of Severe Storms: Marginal Risk |
Current Day 3 Outlook | Forecaster: Broyles Issued: 20/0711Z Valid: 22/1200Z - 23/1200Z Forecast Risk of Severe Storms: Marginal Risk |
Current Day 4-8 Outlook |
Current Dew Points
Deep Moisture swept out, a bit coming back into the Plains.
Latest radar loop
http://www.nws.noaa.gov/radar_tab.php
| Full resolution version loop (3400x1700 pixels - 2.2mb) |
Go to: Most Recent Image
You can go to this link to see precipitation totals from recent time periods:
https://water.weather.gov/precip/
Go to precipitation, then scroll down to pick a time frame. Hit states to get the borders to see locations better. Under products, you can hit "observed" or "Percent of normal"
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Precipitation compared to average for the last 7, 14, 30 and 60 days.
IT's BEEN DRYING OUT IN THE SOUTH BUT IT WILL GET WET AGAIN THERE!
Usually not updated for previous day until late the next day.
https://www.atmos.illinois.edu/~snodgrss/Ag_Wx.html
Soilmoisture anomaly:
These maps sometimes take a day to catch up to incorporate the latest data. Still too wet over a large area even with recently drying.........but conditions have improved and planting has started in some places. Very warm temperatures next week will assist with more drying.
https://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/Soilmst_Monitoring/US/Soilmst/Soilmst.shtml#
Currently, there is 0% of the Cornbelt/Midwest with drought. There is no place even slightly dry there.
The South has been really drying out recently but heavy rains coming up should wipe out some of the dryness in that area.
The market will be keying on precip forecasts for planting concerns for the next month.
https://droughtmonitor.unl.edu/
The top map is the Canadian ensemble average, the maps below are the individual members that make up the average
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Each member is like the parent, Canadian model operational model.......with a slight tweek/variation in parameters. Since we know the equations to represent the physics of the atmosphere in the models are not perfect, its useful to vary some of the equations that are uncertain(can make a difference) to see if it effects the outcome and how.
The average of all these variations(ensembles) often yields a better tool for forecasting. It's always more consistent. The individual operational model, like each individual ensemble member can vary greatly from run to run.........and represent an extreme end of the spectrum at times. The ensemble average of all the members, because it averages the extremes.............from opposite ends of the spectrum.........changes much less from run to run.
End of week 2....................0z ensembles from SUNDAY:
Analysis starting from a week ago, ending with today:
Last week+ of analysis, starting with the day farthest in the past:
Last Monday: The mean/average is zonal but many solutions don't look like the average, they have an amplification of the pattern somewhere(possibly just transient). Majority are not nearly as wet as last week. No major cold intrusions.
Tuesday: The mean is zonal and mild but the flow could still be fairly active......just not featuring excessive rain events because of being progressive.
Wednesday: Very wide spread in solutions from very strong and wet southern stream dominant(a slight majority) to dry and chilly northern stream, new pattern. The Canadian ensembles is by far the wettest for late week 2 as the other models are much drier today.
Thursday: The mean looks fairly zonal again but the individual solutions which offset each other in the average have a wide spread. Still looking for a potential drier pattern but there are still some with enough southern stream to cause it to be wet............if those solutions are correct.
Friday: The mean and also individual solutions are looking zonal and drier..........this is the driest looking model for week 2.
Saturday: Mean is still zonal but maybe closer to average precip now and not as dry. Just over half the solutions actually would have above average precip, less than half drier.
Sunday: Zonal but active mean with mild temps. After a dry period of several days possible early in week 2(from the pattern described recently/above and the progression of days in the forecast, it looks wet again later in week 2.
Monday: The big change on the mean today is the upper level heights(ridging) building from the south into the Midwest compared to yesterday. At the very least, this would mean warm temperatures. This could also deflect/effect the storm track/jet stream.
Tuesday: Warm solutions on majority, with upper level high in the Southeast on numerous solutions and an active southern stream on some solutions that still carry the risk of wet weather in the Plains.
Wednesday: Clearly warm again. How long and how strong for the upper level ridge when its in the center of the country? It shuts down the southern stream/shunts it much farther westward in that position. If it shifts east, the potential to turn wet again increases.
Thursday: Solidly warm and leaning dry. Just the very warm temps by themselves, along with an increasingly strong sun will help dry things out. Still suspicious that the southern stream could become more active and be aimed towards the middle of the country because of the trough in the West.
Friday: Still very warm with increasing odds for an extended dry period. Today's upper level ridge on the mean is farther west, far enough west to completely shut down any southern stream. The mean upper level trough is also 500 miles farther west, now just off the West Coast.
Saturday: Glad that I waited to get this just updated 12z run. It's incredibly different from previous runs for an ensemble. HOLY COW! The just updated 12z GFS operational model shows something similar but the GFS ensembles do not..........which is the southern stream coming to life with gusto! The majority of solutions have deep upper level troughs to cut off lows somewhere between just off the West Coast to the Plains with tremendous energy emanating from the tropical Pacific El Nino. With an upper level ridge in the Southeast, there will be strong southerly flow and deep Gulf of Mexico moisture available............leading to the potential for excessive rain events in the Plains to points eastward. This is a huge change and during week 2 and also just on the Canadian ensemble vs the GFS ensemble showing these features over 500 miles farther west, closer to yesterday and not nearly as amplied and is actually dry for the same period because of it...... so it may be overdone.............which is usually what we assume when an extreme change comes so quickly.......or this model might be on to something.
Sunday: Big question mark for this late week 2 period about several features..........for this model(I should note that the other models are not nearly as wet and don't have this potent upper level trough in the West) The main one is going to be where the potentially potent, active and wet southern stream is aimed at. We're not as bullish with the pattern today as 24 hours ago (which was very bullish) for this model but the position of the features in the mean is still potentially very wet to excessively wet in early May for an impossible to pinpoint region in the middle of the country. Where that will be depends of the location of any upper level ridging downstream in South or Southeast. The zone of any extreme rains will be around the periphery of any such upper level ridging...........that assists in deep Gulf moisture flowing north bound. The farther west the upper level ridging is, the more of the South/Midwest will be underneath its shield of protection from the energy coming in from the Pacific.
360h GZ 500 forecast valid on May 06, 2019 12 UTC
0Z GFS Ensembles at 2 weeks:
Analysis, starting with the oldest, ending with the most recent:
Last Thursday: The GFS ensembles majority are much drier here at the end of week 2. Almost half half of them have a strong ridge in the west /Rockies that shuts down the moisture.
Friday: The big upper ridge in the west solution that had been growing has almost vanished, half the solutions have an upper level low there today............so its wetter than yesterday and potentially active on half the solutions.
Saturday: Individual solutions continue to look wetter than a couple of days ago but some are drier too. Low confidence because of the spread. The mean has precip a tad above average.
Sunday: Precip is looking wetter again.
Monday: Definitely looks pretty warm on most solutions. Rains are uncertain. Depends on if we have an active flow or the jet stream is diverted away from the Midwest or only pays brief visits.
Tuesday: Drier and no southern stream aimed towards the Midwest. Very warm.
Wednesday: Still very warm in week 2 and mostly drier. Could start turning wet in the Plains/Upper Midwest late in the period?
Thursday: Looks warm and leaning dry. Maybe wet in the far S.Plains.
Friday: Upper level low in the far west to downstream ridging means warm and dry in the middle of the country for week 2. The southern stream will be aimed the extreme southwestern parts of the S.Plains, where precip could be heavy(W.TX for instance). This pattern continues to favor much better planting weather coming up.
Saturday: Watching to see if more solutions on this model amplify the southern stream similar to the Canadian ensembles. Some show the potential for this.
Sunday: This model does not look that wet at all. In fact, much of the belt is pretty dry and very warm. Most solutions don't have much southern stream.
Ensemble mean(average of all the individual solutions above)
Last Wednesday: The noted anomaly from yesterday, though still not impressive has a smideon more amplitude today.....which keeps my forecast for a drier pattern change in week 2 valid. If this leads to a ridge west/trough east couplet, it would also cool things down in the East.............and potentially much cooler in the Midsection on some guidance.
Thursday: Modest ridge West/trough East anomaly keeps me leaning drier later this month and at this end of week 2 time frame. This would also cause it to be cool in the Midwest/East, with warmth in the West.
Friday: The positive anomaly in the west is completely gone today. No very strong anomalies in the US, with a weak negative one off the East Coast.
Saturday: Weak anomalies that have been shifting every day. Modest positive anomalies across much of the US, except the East Coast would mean mild to warm.
Sunday: Weak positive anomaly in the N. Plains. Great uncertainty.
Monday: Pretty decent positive anomaly across the northern half of the US into Southeastern Canada..........so warm temps. Not sure on rains but its NOT an excessive rain set up in the Midwest.
Tuesday: Even bigger positive anomaly NorthCentral US. High confidence for warmth. This would shutdown the moisture to some places................possibly forcing the southern stream to take a track that keeps it from being aimed at the Midwest.
Wednesday: Still big positive anomaly Upper Midwest to Hudson Bay. WARM again! Still dry for alot of the Midwest in this position but could turn wet if it starts shifting eastward.
Thursday: Big positive anomaly centered from the Great Lakes to points southwestward assures warm temps. Much of the area will benefit with dry weather underneath it.
Friday: Large positive anomaly across the entire country, except the extreme Southwest on the top map.
Saturday: Still a modest positive anomaly across much of the country and warm temperatures but confidence has dropped to very low for late week 2 as a pattern change to much wetter is possible.........but if the main features set up farther west, it will instead be dry.
Sunday: Still the same modest positive upper level/height anomaly across much of the country. This argues for warm temperatures.............though a new negative anomaly in Southeast Canada brings a potential for cold fronts to penetrate in the Upper Midwest to Northeast. Upper level trough off the Southwest Coast needs to be watched for southern stream potential feeding east.
NCEP Ensemble t = 360 hour forecast 
National Weather Service 6-10 day, 8-14 day outlooks.
Temperature Probability | |
Precipitation Probability | |
| the 8-14 day outlooks ArchivesAnalogsLines-Only FormatGIS Data | |
Temperature Probability | |
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Previous discussions:
By WxFollower - April 5, 2019, 12:43 p.m.
It is getting quite dry in much of the SE US. So, rain is needed. Upcoming warmth will exacerbate the problem.
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By metmike - April 5, 2019, 7:53 p.m.
Larry,
I've noted how dry that its been recently in the South and it's too dry now in a growing area(I just updated the drought monitor map above).
The pattern coming up could take care of that quickly if the zone of heavy rains is far enough east.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Weather Sunday
By mcfarm - April 8, 2019, 10:25 a.m.
metmike, big talk of a 12 to 16 inch snow fall coming to the upper midwest......are you predicting th same?
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By metmike - April 8, 2019, 11:16 a.m.
Yes mcfarm!
Looks like SD to MN will have the heaviest snow. Thanks much for pointing this out.
Email: meteormike@msn.com | IP Address: None | Cookie ID: None
Re: Re: Re: Re: Weather Tuesday
0 likes
By metmike - April 9, 2019, 4:01 p.m.
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By cliff-e - April 9, 2019, 5:48 p.m.
Looks like another "Bomb Cyclone" Winter storm headed for Minnesnowta with up to 30" snow and 50 mph wind gusts. On April 14 2018 we had 23" wet heavy snow that delayed planting...this time around we have wetter soils with only half of our Fall tillage completed so many of us will consider the prevented plant option if this storm comes to fruition.
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By metmike - April 9, 2019, 10:50 p.m.
Thanks cliff,
I remember those poor early Spring planting conditions for Minnesota last year and you stating the same thing about your intentions for the prevent planting option well into May.
I will make the same prediction as last year............that you get your crop planted, 90% chance.
How did last years similar snowstorm and cold/wet early Spring affect the planting? On June 3, 2018, 98% of the Minnesota corn was planted which was actually 2% ahead of the average for that date..........thanks to some very warm/dry weather in much of May.
Temps were more than 6 degrees above normal for the entire month of May last year!!
How did the late snowstorm and cold/wet Spring last year effect development of the MN crop last year thru pollination?
USDA August `13, 2018 crop condition: 77% Good/Excellent in MN. 2% poor.
Crop yield estimate by state after pollination:
It's not likely that May will turn as warm and dry as it did last year which allowed for the crop to be planted quickly but each year is different. Hopefully this will be another great one for you!
It really is getting harder and harder to hurt these crops with increasing CO2 and beneficial climate change. Hopefully you'll have another bin buster or close to it again even if early planting is not going to be in the cards for the 2nd year in a row. By historical standards, we are way overdue for some major adversity during the growing season but climate change has changed those historical odds for adversity from drought during the growing season(the biggest risk to crops) to being lower than before.
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By cliff-e - April 10, 2019, 6:47 a.m.
It's now April 2019...our rivers have been at flood stage for nearly 3 weeks already and our soil profile is definitely wetter as we now hear our basement sump pump running this year vs. last year when it never ran during the April 2018 floods. And we're still hearing of producers without operating credit for this year due to projected negative cash flows.
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Re: Re: Re: Re: Weather Wednesday
By metmike - April 10, 2019, 12:25 p.m.
Thanks cliff,
Yep, all those facts are true about how the weather HAS(past tense) affected your soils and this current snow IS current tense about to affect things in a huge negative way. The bearish USDA report for corn yesterday didn't help any either. Sorry that things are so messed up for you right now.
My forecast is for it to start drying out up there later in April FUTURE tense which is what matters now.........and for which there is the most uncertainty.
For all I know, May could end up being the wettest May in history for MN because the models/guidance we use just don't have the skill to forecast that far out............which in this case means everything to your planting.
Let's hope that, instead it turns very warm and dry like it did in May 2018.
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By metmike - April 10, 2019, 12:27 p.m.
Craig Solberg @CraigSolberg 4h4 hours ago
Palmer drought index for March for the Corn Belt easily the highest on record. Maybe makes a case that the Corn Belt is wetter now than it has EVER been for this time of year?
By metmike - April 17, 2019, 6:17 p.m.
