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Weather Report: Dry, Windy, Hot Weather and Specialty Crops

Authors: Annie Klodd, University of Minnesota Extension Educators for Fruit and Vegetable Production

Precipitation

There is no doubt that much of the state experienced a dry, hot, windy week. As indicated in the map below, farms in the eastern half of Minnesota received little to no precipitation in the last 7 days. These growers are therefore still experiencing dry soils, receiving only 5-25% of the average precipitation for June 10-17 (based on 30-year average).

However, northwest Minnesota continues to be wetter than average, having received 0.5-2 inches of rain this week after receiving very heavy rain last week. This keeps the northwest corner at 100-300% of normal precipitation for this time in the season. Irrigation is important at this time for fruit and vegetable crops across Minnesota. This is a key time in the season for fruit and plant development that will impact yield later on.  
Precipitation map for June 11-17, 2020.

Percent (%) of normal precipitation for June 11-17, 2020.

Growing Degree Days

The map below shows modified growing degree days (MGDD) accumulated between April 1 and May 13, 2020, using a base temperatures of 50 degrees F. To read more about how the numbers were calculated for this map, please visit: https://mrcc.illinois.edu/cliwatch/mgdd/gdd_maps.html
Image: MGDD map for Midwest. Courtesy Midwest Regional Climate Center.




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