By Jim Noel
It looks like planting season will be a bit more challenging this spring than 2021 was. There is no sign of La Nina leaving us anytime soon which tends to stress crop yields in Ohio from research between NOAA and OSU.
Rainfall for the next two weeks, about 1.5-2.5 inches wetter than normal.
Another overall chilly week is in store for Ohio with periods of light precipitation. The good news is the week of April 10th we will experience warmer weather but rain chances will continue. The bad news is below normal temperatures will return again the week of April 17th.
Overall, April will experience normal to below normal temperatures with rainfall likely above normal. This will mean field work will continue to be delayed at times. This will be a common theme across the eastern corn and soybean belts.
The outlook for May calls for slightly above normal temperatures to arrive but with it will come above normal rainfall.
The early summer outlook for growing season indicated above normal temperatures from June through August with a trend from wetter start to a drier finish.
With the chilly April weather expected, there is a risk of the last freeze for 2022 planting/growing season being later than normal. We will also run the risk of a few mixed rain/snow events still especially for northern Ohio.
Source : osu.edu