Weekly Crop Report June 2, 2023 – Almost all crops are doing well

June 2, 2023Posted inagriculture, weatherNo Comments

This article is based primarily on the May 31, 2023, USDA Crop Bulletin which covers the May 21 – 28  period of time. The USDA report usually becomes available on Tuesdays but due to the Memorial Day Weekend it was not published until Wednesday and Wednesday night I published the end-of-month update of the June weather outlook (click HERE to read) so I am publishing the crop article tonight a day late.

Almost all crops are doing well. Corn and soybeans, which are two of the major crops,  are doing very well. We will see how they handle the drought anticipated in certain areas in June.

We also include the May 2023 report on the prices received and paid by farmers in April 2023.

The article includes a short international review of agricultural conditions.

Weather: Tonight, Tomorrow, Next Day, Five Days, and Intermediate-Term Outlooks for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted June 2, 2023

June 2, 2023Posted inweatherNo Comments

Updated at 8:02 p.m. Thursday, June 2, 2023

Here is what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term outlooks and a five-day World weather forecast.

We start with the U.S. Information.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
346 PM EDT Fri Jun 02 2023

Valid 00Z Sat Jun 03 2023 – 00Z Mon Jun 05 2023

…Tropical Storm Arlene Forms in the Gulf of Mexico…

…There are Moderate Risks of Excessive Rainfall over the Texas Panhandle
& northern High Plains; Enhanced Risk for severe weather in the southern
High Plains this afternoon…

…Stormy weather to linger in the Rockies & Plains…

…Prolonged summer heat in the North Central U.S; cooler temperatures
return to the Northeast & Mid-Atlantic this weekend.

NOAA Updates It’s June 2023 Outlook on May 31, 2023- It is a dramatic change from the Mid-Month Outlook

June 1, 2023Posted inweatherNo Comments

At the end of every month, NOAA updates its Outlook for the following month which in this case is June of 2023. We are reporting on that tonight.

There have been some significant changes in the Outlook for June and these are addressed in the NOAA Discussion so it is well worth reading. We highlighted some of the important statements within the NOAA Discussion. We also provided the prior Mid-Month Outlook for June for comparison.  From the NOAA Discussion:

  • The MJO is expected to provide a favorable large-scale environment for tropical cyclone (TC) development across the East Pacific during early June.
  • Typhoon Maway , currently located to the east of Taiwan, is forecast to recurve northeastward over the Northwest Pacific.
  • Dynamical models  generally depict a persistent, anomalous 500-hPa ridge over the higher latitudes of west-central North America into the latter half of June which supports increased probabilities for above-normal temperatures from the Pacific Northwest and Northern Rockies east to the Midwest.
  • 30-day precipitation deficits range from 2 to 5 inches across the Corn Belt where low topsoil [Editor’s note: probably referring to moisture]  is present.
  • Positive SST anomalies over the Gulf of Mexico along with forecasted above normal temperatures in week 3-4 tools, tilts the forecast toward above normal across Florida and along the Gulf Coast.
  • Increased probabilities for below-normal temperatures are forecast for the Central to Southern High Plains, Southwest, and southern California.
  • Below-normal precipitation across the Midwest. This favored dryness extends east to the Central Appalachians
  • Wetter-than-normal conditions especially across the interior West, High Plains, and Southern Great Plains where increased probabilities for above-normal precipitation are forecast for the month
  • A wet start to the month is likely across the Florida Peninsula.
  • The largest change in the revised precipitation outlook was made to Alaska as most recent model guidance has backed off the dry signal initially forecast for southeastern Alaska.

It is probably easier to just look at the maps than digest the above.

The article includes the Drought Outlook for June. NOAA also adjusted the previously issued Seasonal Drought Outlook to reflect the changes in the June Outlook. We have also included the current fire incidents (dramatically decreased) and four months of Wildland Fire Potential Outlooks and also a map showing the current snowpack in the West and the water-year-to-date precipitation. We also provide the Week 2/3 Tropical Outlook for the World.

Weather: Tonight, Tomorrow, Next Day, Five Days, and Intermediate-Term Outlooks for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted June 1, 2023

June 1, 2023Posted inweatherNo Comments

Here is what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term outlooks and a five-day World weather forecast.

We start with the U.S. Information.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
350 PM EDT Thu Jun 01 2023

Valid 00Z Fri Jun 02 2023 – 00Z Sun Jun 04 2023

…Heavy rain to likely lead to additional instances of flash flooding
across the Texas Panhandle on Friday, as well as the possibility of severe
thunderstorms…

…Increasing threat of excessive rainfall across parts of north-central
Montana to end the week…

…Much above average temperatures throughout the Northeast on Friday
ahead of an approaching backdoor cold front to swing through the region by
Saturday…

Weather: Tonight, Tomorrow, Next Day, Five Days, and Intermediate-Term Outlooks for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted May 31, 2023

May 31, 2023Posted inweatherNo Comments

Here is what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term outlooks and a five-day World weather forecast.

We start with the U.S. Information.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
Wed May 31 2023

Valid 12Z Wed May 31 2023 – 12Z Fri Jun 02 2023

…Widespread scattered showers and thunderstorms continue across large
portions of the central U.S., the northern Rockies and northern Great
Basin…

…Watching the potential for low pressure to develop in the eastern Gulf
and bring increasing chance of thunderstorms across southern Florida next
few days…

…Much above average temperatures along the northern tier of the nation
but cooler than normal across the southern tier and along the West and
East Coasts…

Weather: Tonight, Tomorrow, Next Day, Five Days, and Intermediate-Term Outlooks for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted May 30, 2023

May 30, 2023Posted inweatherNo Comments

Here is what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term outlooks and a five-day World weather forecast.

We start with the U.S. Information.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
357 PM EDT Tue May 30 2023

Valid 00Z Wed May 31 2023 – 00Z Fri Jun 02 2023

…Widespread scattered showers and thunderstorms continue across large
portions of the central U.S., the northern Rockies and northern Great
Basin…

…Scattered showers spread into the southern Mid-Atlantic today, with an
increasing chance of thunderstorms across southern Florida on Wednesday…

…Much above average temperatures expected along the northern tier of the
nation, while cooler than normal conditions accompany the showers across
the Southeast…

NOAA Issues their Hurricane Outlooks Marking the Start of Summer this May 29, 2023

May 29, 2023Posted inClimate, weatherNo Comments

Updated at 3:26 a.m. EDT Tuesday, May 30, 2023

We are entering Hurricane Season. So it is appropriate to discuss the recent projections issued by NOAA. NOAA has provided projections for the Atlantic, Central Pacific, and Eastern Pacific.

I also discuss the apparent correlation between hurricane frequency and intensity with the phases of the Atlantic Multidecadal Oscillation (AMO). This is particularly important this year due to the combination of a warm Atlantic and a forecast of an El Nino. These two factors tend to cancel each other out and this combination occurs rarely.  This makes the forecast this year interesting and based on a small number of occurrences of this combination. Thus the level of confidence in the Outlook for the Atlantic may be lower than usual.

The analysis of the impact of the AMO on the forecast is in Part II of the article so those who are only interested in the forecast will find that early in the article. Ocean cycles are very important when trying to understand the climate of the U.S. and other parts of the World.

It is also appropriate to remind those who are at risk from tropical cyclones to be as prepared as possible.

Weather: Tonight, Tomorrow, Next Day, Five Days, and Intermediate-Term Outlooks for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted May 29, 2023

May 29, 2023Posted inweatherNo Comments

Updated at 5:14 p.m. EDT Monday May 29, 2023

Here is what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term outlooks and a five-day World weather forecast.

We start with the U.S. Information.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
310 PM EDT Mon May 29 2023

Valid 00Z Tue May 30 2023 – 00Z Thu Jun 01 2023

…Widespread scattered showers and thunderstorms expected for large
portions of the central U.S. into the Northern Rockies and northern Great
Basin…

…Showery conditions likely across the Southern Mid-Atlantic through
Tuesday and developing across portions of Florida Wednesday…

…Much above average temps expected along the northern tier of the
nation, while cooler than average temps accompany the showers across the
Southeast portion of the nation…

Weather: Tonight, Tomorrow, Next Day, Five Days, and Intermediate-Term Outlooks for the U.S. and a Six-Day Forecast for the World: posted May 28, 2023

May 28, 2023Posted inweatherNo Comments

Updated at 3:50 p.m. EDT Sunday, May 28, 2023

Here is what we are paying attention to in the next 48 to 72 hours. The article also includes weather maps for longer-term outlooks and a five-day World weather forecast.

We start with the U.S. Information.

Short Range Forecast Discussion
NWS Weather Prediction Center College Park MD
306 PM EDT Sun May 28 2023

Valid 00Z Mon May 29 2023 – 00Z Wed May 31 2023

…Unsettled and cool weather remains across the Mid-Atlantic through
Tuesday…

…Scattered showers and thunderstorms expected to linger across the Great
Basin, northern and central Rockies, Great Plains, and Upper Midwest for
the next few days…

…Above average temperatures forecast throughout the northern half of the
Nation…

NOAA Updates their Seasonal Outlook – El Nino coming but not here yet – May 27, 2023

May 27, 2023Posted inweatherNo Comments

Lightly edited at 5:54 p.m. EDT Saturday, May 27, 2023 mostly to compare the new to the prior Seasonal Outlook. They are very similar.

On the third Thursday of the month right on schedule NOAA issued what I describe as their Four-Season Outlook. The information released also included the Mid-Month Outlook for the single month of June plus the weather and drought outlook for the next three months.  I present (apologies for the delay) the information issued and try to add context to it. It is quite a challenge for NOAA to address the subsequent month, the subsequent three-month period as well as successive three-month periods for a year or a bit more.

It is very useful to read the excellent discussion that NOAA issues with this Seasonal Outlook.  In general, the overall level of confidence in the Seasonal Outlook is lower than usual for many reasons that are addressed in the NOAA discussion. It is best to read the full discussion but here are some of the highlights:

  • Equatorial SSTs are near-to-above average across most of the Pacific Ocean and atmospheric conditions reflect ENSO-neutral conditions [Editor’s Note: The Atmosphere has not yet responded to the warming in the Eastern Pacific which is marginally at El Nino levels].
  • At least a weak El Niño is likely given high levels of above-average oceanic heat content, but the range of possibilities include an 80 percent chance of at least a moderate El Niño and a 55 percent chance of a strong El Niño by the end of the year.
  • This likely warm start to June along with monthly dynamical and statistical tools support increased probabilities for above-normal temperatures from the Pacific Northwest east to the Northern Great Plains. 
  • The NMME along with an increased potential for an early season TC [tropical cyclone] to emerge from the western Caribbean Sea favors above-normal precipitation [in June] for parts of the Southeast.
  • The JJA 2023 temperature outlook favors above-normal temperatures over the western CONUS, the Southwest, the Gulf States, along the eastern seaboard, and for much of the state of Alaska.
  • The JJA 2023 precipitation outlook depicts below-normal precipitation probabilities over the Pacific Northwest and parts of the Northern Rockies, the Southwest, and south coast of Alaska. NMME and C3S are in good agreement on below normal precipitation over the southwest and wet soil moisture over the Four Corners region may provide a sluggish start to the Monsoon this summer. Above normal precipitation probabilities are indicated over parts of the Middle and Lower Mississippi Valleys, the Ohio and Tennessee Valleys, the Southeast, and mid-Atlantic. Parts of the Central Plains tend to be anti-correlated with the monsoon region, and as such a weak tilt toward above normal precipitation is indicated.
  • Confidence decreases in September-November (SON) 2023 and following seasons as lead time increases and dynamical models  become more uncertain, however, El Niño is expected to become more dominant in the forecast(s), and the pattern begins to reflect El Niño conditions during fall and winter seasons.
  • Decadal [Temperature] trends become the dominant player in spring and summer 2024, with below normal trends  over the Pacific Northwest and above-normal trends  over the Mid-Atlantic.