By late July, Indiana had settled into a typical midsummer pattern. Warm, humid days with warm overnight temperatures were common, and scattered thunderstorms left a patchwork of rainfall across the state. Extreme heat was brief, but the steady warmth kept crops progressing at a near-normal pace. Through July 28, accumulated MGDDs ranged from around 1,440…Read more about July Settles into a Familiar Indiana Summer Pattern[Read More]
Resources for landscapes and gardens in the Midwest
Landscape Report
climate
Those of a certain age will remember concerns about a hole in the ozone layer dominating the news in the mid 1980’s. This concern led to the ban of chlorofluorocarbons (CFC’s), and other ozone-depleting chemicals via the Montreal Protocol. According to the European Environment Agency, since the early 2000’s, the hole has been shrinking and…Read more about Ozone Damage to Landscape Plants: A hidden stress[Read More]
Our first significant heat wave hit Indiana this week with the added benefit of high humidity. Because the humidity reduces the rate our sweat can evaporate from our skin (a natural cooler process), conditions felt more uncomfortable and hotter than what it really was. Fortunately, daily high air temperatures should gradually drop into the 80s…Read more about The Heat Is On[Read More]
Indiana has seen several rounds of severe weather, and many are likely ready for a break. The good news is there does not seem to be more severe weather in our forecast for at least a week. Heavy rain is anticipated for northern Indiana at the end of this coming weekend, but otherwise, periodic showers…Read more about Calmer weather on its way[Read More]
The term “flash drought” has become popularized in recent years to describe a rapidly intensifying drought situation. It could occur within a prolonged drought period where conditions suddenly deteriorate at a much faster rate, or it could start without any preliminary dry condition. In northwestern Indiana, precipitation has been below normal over the past month. …Read more about Flash Drought Coming our Way?[Read More]
Recent rounds of thunderstorms have brought highly variable rainfall totals across Indiana, continuing a familiar spring pattern of “haves and have-nots” when it comes to precipitation. While some areas have received multiple inches of rainfall over the past week, others have not, allowing dry conditions to redevelop. Heavy precipitation was concentrated primarily from Indianapolis southward,…Read more about Heavy Rainfall Divides Indiana: Some Areas Soak Inches While Others Miss Out[Read More]
After another rainy start to the week, some of you may be ready for a few dry days to get out in the garden or field to start planting. Figure 1 shows how much rain has fallen over the past 30 days and Figure 2 shows how many inches above or below normal those amounts…Read more about Cooler temperatures and rain continues[Read More]
For at least 100 straight weeks (since mid-July 2024!) counties in north-central Indiana (from about Newton and Benton counties in the west to Allen, Adams, and Jay counties in the east) have been in some level of dryness. While not all these counties have been impacted, at least some of them have been anywhere from…Read more about Spring rains help relieve northern dryness[Read More]
Fall and drought have been nearly synonymous in recent years; 2025 is no different. The September 30 US Drought Monitor, released on October 2, indicated that over 92 percent of the state was categorized as either abnormally dry (D0) or moderate drought (D1), with additional areas classified as severe drought (D2) or extreme drought (D3)…Read more about Drought Conditions Improve in Southern Indiana, Worsen in Northern Areas[Read More]
The last week has caused many to struggle with whether to turn the heat on inside. Mornings have been quite chilly, and I am guessing several readers may have also struggled with the decision to wear a jacket as they started their workday. These are tough decisions, no doubt. Several data sources have suggested we…Read more about A false sense of autumn[Read More]
If you have any stakes in agriculture, you may have noticed a fairly rapid drying trend as summer has come to a close. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor on September 2, 76 percent of Indiana is considered abnormally dry—up from just 26 percent one week earlier. Moderate drought conditions have also expanded from less…Read more about Abnormally Dry and Drought Conditions Are On The Rise[Read More]
With brute and sudden force, the atmosphere is doing its job: acting like a fluid. Weather is not a precise science, which means the atmosphere is constantly shifting. There tends to be some sort of pattern shift come mid-late August, and it looks like it’s just about here. Temperatures are on their way down, as…Read more about Super cool & super dry for August’s end: How the weather tables have turned[Read More]
The Midwestern Regional Climate Center (MRCC), with support from the United Soybean Board, has launched the Ag Climate Dashboard — a centralized digital hub offering streamlined access to integrated climate and agricultural data and decision-support tools for producers, advisors and researchers in the Midwest. Designed to support on-farm decision-making, the Ag Climate Dashboard offers up-to-date weather data, National Weather Service…Read more about New Ag Climate Dashboard makes climate resources more accessible for Midwest farmers[Read More]
The heat and humidity have returned to the state, as heat indices soared above 100°F on Wednesday and Thursday (July 23-24) this week. The National Weather Service issued heat advisories that spanned from northeast Texas to northeast Ohio on July 24. Over the last 7-day period (July 16-22), average temperatures ranged from near normal in…Read more about Hot and humid weather persists, but a cool down is expected during the first week of August[Read More]
One heat wave down, more to come. It is summer, though, so aside from expecting plenty of hot days, the things to be more concerned about is reference (or potential) evapotranspiration (ET) significantly exceeding precipitation that would ultimately cause drought-related impacts. The National Weather Service provides a 7-day forecasted reference ET product as well as…Read more about More heat on the way[Read More]
I couldn’t think of a better title this week, thanks to the hot weather we’ve been experiencing and the song by Arrow. While some people enjoy the heat and humidity, I must admit that I don’t find it overly pleasant. Over the past few days, average temperatures have ranged from 6 to 13°F above normal,…Read more about Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot[Read More]
We’ve made it! Meteorological summer started on June 1, but the official start of summer isn’t until June 20. The days are longer, temperatures have risen, and my allergies are in full swing. I let the dogs out last night, and there was still quite a bit of light in the sky just before 10:00…Read more about Meteorological summer has arrived[Read More]
Welcome to the start of Hurricane Season that runs from June through November each year. Why would Indiana care about hurricane season? Certainly, by the time any hurricane might impact the state, it will have been greatly downgraded to what is called an extratropical (i.e., poleward of the Tropic of Cancer (23.5° north latitude)) storm…Read more about It’s a Hazy Shade of … June[Read More]
Precipitation in May has varied tremendously, but most of the state has generally been on the dry side. Areas from Vermillion and Parke Counties to Lake Michigan have received between 25% and 75% of the normal precipitation through May 27 (Figure 1). Conditions were dry enough that thunderstorm winds on May 16 prompted the National…Read more about Will May’s Mixed Precipitation and Temperatures Persist into June?[Read More]
The last few weeks have been on the drier side, particularly for northwestern and west-central Indiana (Figure 1). While temperatures have been seasonal, they are still gradually increasing as we approach summer. Therefore, evapotranspiration rates are starting to increase. This has resulted in the U.S. Drought Monitor classifying much of northern Indiana as Abnormally Dry…Read more about A Bit of Rain Coming Our Way[Read More]
Sign-up to receive email news and alerts from Purdue Landscape Working Group:
This is US
For More Information
Purdue Home Page
Purdue Extension
Find your county office
