Jeff Andresen...After an extended period of mostly sunny, dry weather across the state and region, forecast guidance is now suggesting some major upper air changes during the upcoming week. The upper air ridging pattern across the region that has led to the abnormally dry conditions (in the State Climatology Office, we=ve referred to it as our Michigan version of “California weather”) will give way to a troughing pattern by early next week, resulting in cooler and wetter weather. In the shorter term, a weak cool front will move through the state Friday, September 18, possibly setting off a few widely scattered showers or sprinkles.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Bob Battel... The warmer weather has been welcome, and more will be needed to get crops to maturity before a frost. We are doing pretty well on moisture. Scattered rain showers went through the area this last Tuesday, August 11. Generally, a quarter inch of rain or less fell.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen... Following a summer-like week with above normal temperatures, the jet stream configuration across North America during the next several days is forecast to change back to a pattern somewhat similar to that in July: ridging across western sections of the lower 48 states and troughing across the east.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen... After several weeks with the same general upper air pattern across North America; ridging (and excessive heat) across western North America and troughing (and cooler than normal temperatures) across central and eastern sections, it appears that major changes are just around the corner, namely an eastward shift of the ridge to the Midwest and east. In general, this shift will bring much warmer temperatures to Michigan with the likelihood of some Gulf of Mexico moisture and rainfall as well.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Aaron Pollyea... A slow moving system of precipitation will move out of the Lower Peninsula Thursday, July 23 with another system to follow early Saturday morning. Model runs both suggest that rainfall for the Saturday system could be over an inch in the highest areas, near the north central part of the Lower Peninsula.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Beth Bishop... A new tool on Enviro-weather (www.enviroweather.msu.edu) helps corn and soybean growers make decisions about irrigation. The “Water use estimates for corn and soybeans” tool is now available on the field crops page on Enviro-weather.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen... Almost as if on cue with the beginning of astronomical summer (solstice this year was 1:45 AM EDT on June 21), a large upper air ridging feature formed across central sections of the United States, bringing the first major heat wave of the summer season. The upper air ridging pattern and heat will gradually give way to northwesterly flow and a cooler weather pattern by early next week.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Beth Bishop... Computers and the internet have indisputably changed modern life, giving us almost instantaneous access to information. We have come to expect up-to-the moment information at the press of a button or the click of a mouse. But computers have their limits. Understanding these limits will save you much frustration and time.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen... It’s been a wet week in Michigan, with a small reprieve from the rainfall on Thursday, June 18. Models suggest that precipitation will once again cross the state late Thursday night into early Friday morning.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen...The cool front that brought heavy rain to much of Lower Michigan on Monday, June 8, stretched west to east across the Ohio Valley Thursday morning. An area of low pressure will ride west to east along the front during the day Thursday, spreading clouds and a few light rain showers across extreme southern sections of the Lower Peninsula.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen...High pressure will remain in control of weather across the Great Lakes region through Friday, June 5, with fair and dry weather expected. A cold front will move through the state late Friday into Saturday, June 6. Given very limited moisture in place ahead of the front, only scattered light showers (less than 0.25 inch where rain falls) are expected in northern sections of the state, with dry conditions continuing elsewhere.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen and Thomas Dudek... From its appearance and the damage it caused, it almost appeared as if a small tornado had moved through Lincoln Nursery in Ottawa County last Sunday afternoon (See image). However, tornadoes are always associated with severe thunderstorms and the weather last Sunday in western, lower Michigan was sunny, cool and windy.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen... The area of low pressure with tropical origins that brought torrential rains and flooding to much of Florida last week and widespread rains to Michigan Tuesday night, May 26, and Wednesday, May 27, was located over southeastern Michigan Thursday morning.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen... A cold front will move from northwest to southeast across the state Thursday, May 21, through early Friday, May 22, bringing the chance for scattered showers and cooler temperatures. In contrast to many weather systems of the past couple of weeks, however, the front will have very little moisture available and only light rainfall totals (less than 0.25 inch where rain occurs) are expected.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Paul Gross... The region received a few tenths of rain Saturday and up to one-inch Wednesday evening, May 13, and Thursday morning, May 14. This has left fields saturated and will halt field work for several days. The conditions are allowing weeds to get a real head start in many fields.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen... High pressure will dominate weather conditions across the Great Lakes Region Thursday, may 14, and much of Friday, May 15, with fair skies expected. Unfortunately for those needing a prolonged break in the recent wet weather pattern, the fair conditions will not last long.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Beth Bishop... Welcome to a new growing season. After a long, cold winter, it is wonderful to see all the signs of spring. Enviro-weather (www.enviroweather.msu.edu) has been spruced up the for the 2009 season with a new look and new tools. New and existing users can check out these new features by clicking the Enviro-weather link on the left of this page.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen... A pair of cold frontal boundaries will move across the Upper Midwest on Thursday, May and again Saturday, bringing mostly cloudy skies with a continuing chance for rainfall across Michigan. Low-level moisture will be somewhat limited with these weather systems, so in contrast to the rainfall events of last week, any precipitation that occurs expected should remain scattered and on the lighter side.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen  -- A split flow jet stream pattern with troughing across the western United States and ridging across western Canada continued during the past week, leading to an active weather pattern across Michigan and the Great Lakes region.

[Read the rest of this article...]

By Jeff Andresen... If the past winter seemed unusually long and cold, your weather senses are right on the money. A high amplitude jet stream pattern characterized by large troughs across western and central North America set up just before Thanksgiving last fall and persisted into early March.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Christina DiFonzo...Every year, there are a few calls about mysterious insect damage that turns out to be frost or hail damage. Here are a few quick tips that add up to damage from ice versus insects...The damage is found at the same level across the entire field. In contrast, insect damage is often patchy, worse in some areas than others, or concentrated along edges or in areas of poor crop growth.

[Read the rest of this article...]

 With this season facing drought conditions, a new online resource offering helpful tips and information has been established. Please visit http://www.ipm.msu.edu/drought2007.htm. Topics include: general drought and crop information, effects on corn and forages. This site will be updated as articles come in from the Field Crop Area of Expertise Team and CAT Alert authors. –Andrea Buchholz, asst. editor.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Jeff Andresen...Scattered showers and thunderstorms brought some much needed rainfall to a few locations across Michigan during late July, but the rainfall was localized and drought conditions persist in many areas of the state. For the growing season thus far (beginning April 1), precipitation deficits have grown in many areas to the 3-5 plus inch range, although these figures are somewhat misleading since the majority of the drier than normal conditions have taken place since early June when crop water needs are relatively greater.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Mark Trent...Ready for its second season, the Enviro-weather website is all set to be your source for agricultural weather and weather-based plant and pest management decision making tools. Just visit http://www.enviroweather.msu.edu and you will have access to information and management products from 49 weather stations across Michigan.

[Read the rest of this article...]

Jeff Andresen and Aaron Pollyea...Unusually hot and humid weather impacted nearly all continental United States during the last two weeks of July and the first week of August. Nationally, more than 2,300 individual daily records for high temperatures were broken as well as 50 new records for the hottest July temperature ever. More than 200 fatalities were associated with the stressful conditions, the majority occurring in California during the initial week of the event.

[Read the rest of this article...]