Harvest Weather Forecast: Dry and Warmer This Coming Week

Not too bad of weather for us to try and finish harvest over the coming week to 10 days. The next 7 days will only have a hurdle of some lake effect clouds and moisture to deal with in the immediate short term.

Saturday and Sunday will feature plenty of lake effect clouds, and we won’t rule out some minor precipitation near the Lake Michigan shoreline. The best lake effect will be north, coming off of Lake Superior in the UP, especially Saturday night and Sunday, where we can see some more bothersome lake snows. Precipitation threats wind down and winds start to turn to the south and southwest later Sunday and Sunday night.

Monday through Friday of this coming week we turn out sunny and much warmer. Temps will be about 10 degrees above normal for daytime highs, and our overall temp averages for the 5 day stretch will be 3-5 degrees above normal at least. The map below shows temps vs normal for the week. This will encourage good drying and a chance to get in to the fields.

Late this week we have a system trying to develop in the 4 corners region in the SW US. Data has been all over the place on how this system kicks out to the east and the speed at which it moves. At this point we are keeping a drier weekend in our forecast and looking for that moisture to arrive Monday the 20^th.

Clouds likely increase on Sunday. The system, when it does arrive, has potential for .25”-.75” rain totals with 80% coverage. However, it may keep the best moisture just a bit father west. There is plenty of opportunity for this system to evolve, so we will continue to watch it. Best thing to do is get after your field work this week and get done…so the system is not an issue, no matter when its arrival happens.

Extended Period:

The extended period has a significant frontal passage for Thanksgiving Day, Thursday the 23^rd. This system can bring .5”-1.5” of rain to all of the state. We are rain free for Tuesday-Wednesday ahead of it, and then much colder behind it for the finish of the holiday weekend, through the 26^th.

Weeks 3 & 4:

The active pattern continues in week 3 with precipitation a bit above normal, but then we pull back for week 4 with a near normal week. Both weeks are still easily above normal on temperatures.

Week 3

Precipitation (green: above normal, brown: below)