Chief Meteorologist Ryan Martin is serving up some excellent weather conditions for harvest this weekend in his latest Harvest Weather Forecast brought to you by Greenstone Farm Credit Services and Seed Genetics Direct.
Martin says sunny, warm, and dry weather dominates this weekend giving farmers an opportunity to get back in the fields for harvest.
“Mostly because evaporation rates are going to be very high with temperatures averaging probably 10 to 15 degrees above normal if not more than that. We need good evaporation after some of the liquid that we picked up earlier this week thanks to lake effect. Whether it was sloppy wet snowflakes or just flat-out rain, we need the evaporation. It’s going to take probably a day to a day and a half to get it to go into full speed, but I do think we still have a good harvest window as we hit this weekend. Saturday and Sunday in particular.”
As we start next week, a significant rain event will take shape over the region.
“The UP will see on-again, off-again showers on Monday morning to midday already; however, in Lower Michigan, the action may not start till mid to late afternoon in western Michigan. Clouds will be building but new moisture may not start until we get closer to sunset. That would be good because that gives us a full day, or nearly a full day, for harvest in Michigan. On Monday, once the moisture gets here, we’re looking at anywhere from a quarter to one inch. Coverage will end up being 100% of Lower Michigan and about 80% of the UP. The moisture is done by shortly after sunrise on Tuesday.”
For the rest of next week, Martin says we’re cooler but not cold.
“We are dry Tuesday afternoon, Wednesday, and Thursday. We see another round of moisture developing Friday midday over Lower Michigan, not so much in the UP, but really hitting its zenith Saturday the 29th. I think we have to allow for a quarter to one inch of rain over Lower Michigan with 80% coverage, in the UP probably 40%-50% coverage. Behind that we’re looking at a wide-open dry window potentially for the entire first week of November.”
See Martin’s full Harvest Weather Forecast later Friday at michiganagtoday.com brought to you by Greenstone Farm Credit Services, supporting rural communities and agriculture with reliable, consistent credit and financial services for over 100 years, and by Seed Genetics Direct. Order from Seed Genetics Direct and save $4 per unit of soybeans, $10 per unit of corn, and 11% more when you pay by Nov. 10!
