June 2021

June is ending as one on the warmest Junes on record.  It will also end up being almost exactly the same as June of 2020.  No, we didn’t hit triple digits last year like many locations did this month, but the warmth was very persistent in 2020, to some degree even more so than this… Read more June 2021

Pacific Heat

The heat in the pacific northwest has garnered a lot of attention and for good reason.  I think the easiest way to describe it would be to say it is similar to what happened in the northern plain during the summer of 1936.  Back then we didn’t have upper level data like we do now,… Read more Pacific Heat

Land of Extremes

You may recall we had some snow in late May in western North Dakota and right after that we had the warmest stretch of weather in June since 1995.  This week, we had frost being reported in some parts of south central and western North Dakota followed by 90s forty-eight hours later.  Yes, the northern… Read more Land of Extremes

A Change?

I had a conversation this past weekend with a farmer asking if I see any changes coming yet this summer.  At the moment, I really do not.  There will more than likely be some pockets of good rains in the coming weeks, there has been in the past few weeks, but to turn this summer… Read more A Change?

Dry Concerns Continue

The dry summer continues to be the number one topic in ag circles even with the recent rains.  As is usually the case, conditions vary greatly from spot to spot.  If you look at maps, it gives the illusion that broad areas of the region have very similar conditions.  Yet, this is not the case. … Read more Dry Concerns Continue

Camera Views

NDAWN, the North Dakota Agricultural Weather Network, has cameras on 58 weather stations through North Dakota and the Red River Valley in Minnesota.  These cameras give a look at the current weather conditions, but also are used to see road conditions and crop progress across the state.  In addition, in the past 3 weeks, these… Read more Camera Views

Atmospherically Dry

I have had numerous inquires as to the average relative humidity this month.  Relative Humidity, as the name suggests is relative to the air temperature.  An overall daily average isn’t necessarily the best way to determine the amount of moisture in the atmosphere.  Using the dew point, or the delta T temperature, the difference between… Read more Atmospherically Dry

New Averages

You may recall in this blog earlier in the year I mention that new climate normals, usually referenced as averages were just released.  All climate averages are based on the last thirty years in whole decades.  In other words, new normals are released once a decade in the years ending in a one.  Because of… Read more New Averages