Wet Weather then a Planting Window

By Jim Noel

April was a challenging month. It was a cold month with most of Ohio -1F to -3F below normal for temperatures. We saw late freezes and snow events. Because of the cold, precipitation was generally around or slightly below normal in the 60-120% of normal range. However, with limited evaporation and evapotranspiration, soils did not dry much.

Looking forward, May will start off challenging but improvements are forecasted. The first week of May will see a wetter period across Ohio with temperatures generally below normal. Rainfall will range from just under an inch to over 2 inches in places. As we move into the middle and end of May, expect a pattern change to warmer and drier than normal which should open the rapid window for planting.

It appears the chances for a hard freeze are pretty much over. There is still a low chance for some patchy frost especially in northern and eastern Ohio like this weekend but the freeze risk has decreased significantly.

The outlook for summer has not changed much from our last article. We expect slightly above normal temperatures this summer with the typical swings of dry to wet to dry on about a 30 day cycle. Overall, 2022 looks not as receptive to agriculture as it was in 2021 with a bit more of extreme periods including more intense dry and wet periods.