Dry Weather Will Continue, Temperatures Expected To Climb

The theme of spring 2021 is dry. Area soil moistures are low, area forest and timber lands are dry, and its only early May. Marilyn Lohmann, meteorologist for the National Weather Service says this dry pattern, which started back in March is not due to El Niño, La Niña, or even a dominate ridge of high pressure parked off the coast of the Northwest.

“The systems are skirting around the area, it’s just high enough pressure to keep them from coming in to the Inland Northwest, they seem to go over northern Washington or kind of scoot down to our south across Nevada and then on into the Rockies where, you know, they made some more snow and rain and then on across the Plains.  But we just seem to kind of get left out.  The go all the way around us.”

Lohmann noted while it has been dry, temperatures have been fairly moderate, and in some locations, below average. She noted that is because of clear overnight conditions, allowing temperatures to drop. But that’s expected to change soon.

Lohmann said the region is locked into this pattern of very dry weather for at least the next 7-10 days.

“And then in addition, we are look at some much warmer temperatures moving into the region here this week.  We’re going to see temperatures go up at least 10-15 degrees above normal, we may crack some 90 degree readings here this weekend.  So, unfortunately that combination of those really hot temperatures and low soil moisture and conditions to start with are going to be hard for both crops and people really.”

Does a dry spring mean we’ll see a dry and potentially dangerous summer? Find out by listening to our entire Ag Weather In Depth conversation with Lohmann.

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