Weekly weather update for professional turf managers from Frank Rossi:
Temp & GDD
A strong temperature gradient across the Northeast US left the area south of the NY/PA line 6 degrees above normal for last week and area north of the state lines 2-4 degrees below normal. Base 50 GDD continue to be 2 weeks ahead of last year and again along the coast 1-2 weeks ahead of 15 yr. avg. and inland about 1 week behind historical normal. Soils are in the low to mid 60’s along the I-95 corridor and upper 50’s inland.
Moisture
A good 0.5 to 1” rainfall fell across the region with some scattered amounts greater than 1” and a few patches of less than 0.5”. ET is starting to pick up again this past week at 0.75-1” of water lost. Still many dry areas evident but some relief is noticeable in the landscape.
Forecast
Expect an active rainfall pattern for the beginning of the week in the Sunday/Monday timeframe with as much 1.5-2” and some 3” rainfall amounts expected along the coast. Inland and north should be drier. By midweek, drying will return as will perfectly normal Spring temps with highs in the 50-70’s and lows 30’s to 50’s. Long term (8-14d) models calling for a cooler and dry period.
For more turf-related weather info and decision-making tools, visit the ForeCast website.
