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| Field Crop Advisory Team Alert newsletter | ||||
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| Vol. 22, No. 11, June 21, 2007 |
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In this issue  Armyworms, other Lepidoptera rain out near lakes Asiatic garden beetle in southern Michigan Preharvest herbicide application in winter wheat Identifying and correcting manganese deficiency Tips to avoid weed control antagonism when applying manganese fertilizer with glyphosate Michigan registration for new agricultural water withdrawals Regional reports Weather |
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| Armyworms, other Lepidoptera rain out near lakes Between June 8 and June 10, storms dropped moths in large numbers on the fringes of Michigan. Armyworm moths were most common, but Howard Russell of MSU Diagnostic Services received pictures and specimens of many other species of moths and butterflies caught up (and dropped) in the same event. The moths appear to have been dropped onto land just before the edges of the lake, on both the western side of the state and the eastern counties by Detroit. The moths either do not like to fly over water (a big risk for an insect), or conditions over water do not support flight very well. In either case, homeowners reported moths covering their lawns. In Detroit, Comerica Park acted as a giant flame, drawing moths at night; baseball fans saw sea gulls chasing down a tasty meal during the Tiger’s games. It appears that this event was limited to areas near the lakes, and that moths did not drop inland. In southern and central Michigan, wheat is far enough along that armyworm is not a concern. Corn is at risk when weed control has been poor, since adults prefer to lay eggs in weedy areas. I do not believe this moth flight is of concern to most areas, but in counties along the lakes, I recommend checking weedy fields and field borders for larvae. |
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Asiatic garden beetle in southern Michigan
To identify Asiatic garden beetle, look at the butt end of the grub at the raster pattern (pattern of hairs). Asiatic garden beetle has a “smiley face” pattern of hairs. In southern Michigan, grubs probably already pupated, but adult beetles will be present for the rest of the summer. Adults are reddish brown and barrel-shaped. There is a video of a damaged field in the Purdue Pest & Crop newsletter. Visit http://extension.entm.purdue.edu/pestcrop/2007/issue12/index.html |
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| Preharvest herbicide application in winter wheat The primary benefit of pre-harvest herbicide application in small grains is in aiding harvest. This treatment will not increase yield. However, there are several negative aspects of a pre-harvest application including: the damage to the small grain caused by driving over the field with the application equipment and potential off-target injury. Therefore, this practice is generally not recommended. 2,4-D use 2,4-D is registered for pre-harvest application in wheat, barley, rye and oats. Many amine forms and low volatile ester forms can be used in wheat, barley and rye, and the labeled rates are 0.5-1 lb ai/acre (1-2 pints/acre of a 4 lb/gal formulation). Only certain amine forms are labeled for use in oats. Check the herbicide label for details. Application can be made after the small grain has reached the hard dough state. Earlier application carries a serious risk of crop injury. When applying 2,4-D as a pre-harvest treatment, the two pints/acre rate will be most effective. Remember, that the weeds being treated will be very large and that one pint/acre of 2,4-D may not be adequate. The best choice between the amine and ester form of 2,4-D will depend upon the individual situation. The ester will be more effective on the weeds; however, the risk of off-target injury from volatilization must be considered. To minimize this problem, the ester form of 2,4-D should not be used if the temperature is expected to exceed 80°F within one day of treatment. The amine form of 2,4-D will be less effective, but does not have the risk of volatilization. Both herbicides can cause off-target injury from spray particle drift. Therefore, applicators must be very cautious about wind speed. Both forms of 2,4-D have activity on broadleaf weeds, but not on grasses or yellow nutsedge. Expect that a minimum of ten days will be required for a pre-harvest application of 2,4-D to desiccate weeds sufficiently to aid in harvesting. Following harvest, the straw must not be fed to livestock. Glyphosate Several glyphosate products are labeled for pre-harvest application in wheat and feed barley. This treatment should not be applied to wheat grown for seed. Application can be made after the hard dough stage (30 percent or less grain moisture) and at least seven days prior to harvest. Refer to the specific product label for maximum rate, tank mixtures with other herbicides and spray volume. Ammonium sulfate should be added to all glyphosate products in order to minimize the negative effect of hard water on glyphosate activity. The addition of ammonium sulfate also can improve glyphosate’s efficacy on some species, especially velvetleaf, regardless of water quality. Dry ammonium sulfate should be labeled “spray grade” quality and applied at 17 lbs/100 gal. Liquid ammonium sulfate products are equally effective if applied at a rate equivalent to 17 lbs/100 gal. Glyphosate applied at 0.75 lb ae/A will provide some control of perennial broadleaves, such as milkweed and Canada thistle. If temperatures are high at the time of application, quackgrass will not be actively growing and, therefore, will be much more difficult to control. In general, the most effective system for controlling perennial weeds in small grains is to harvest the wheat, allow the weeds to re-grow, and apply an herbicide in the fall. If the patches of perennial weeds are too dense to harvest, they can be mowed following the wheat harvest. Several factors must be considered when deciding whether or not to treat. These include the severity of the weed problem (both density and percentage of the field affected), the weed species and the risk of off-target injury. |
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| Identifying and correcting manganese deficiency Manganese deficiency is the most common micronutrient issue found in Michigan row crop production. Soybeans and wheat are the two field crops most likely to develop manganese deficiency, although deficiency may also be found in corn and sugar beets. Manganese deficiency appears as yellowing between the leaf veins (interveinal chlorosis) of corn, soybeans, and sugar beets, and as yellow-green striping in wheat (see photos). Manganese deficiency is most likely to be a problem on organic soils (mucks) with a pH greater than 5.8 or on dark colored lake bed and glacial outwash soils that have been limed to a pH greater than 6.5. Due to the variability of our Michigan soils, often times the low depressional areas in a field will tend to be mucky and will show manganese deficiency when the rest of the field looks healthy. But, these areas may also be yellowing as a result of nitrogen deficiency stemming from denitrification or leaching. One distinction between nitrogen and manganese deficiency in crops is that manganese deficiency will show up in the younger, newest leaves of the plant, while nitrogen deficiency will appear on older tissue (lower leaves). The best way to be sure what is causing the deficiency is through soil and tissue analysis. But, if your field has a history of manganese deficiency, these areas will tend to show the deficiency (and will need to be corrected) on an annual basis, since most of the manganese in our soils is in an unavailable form. Even when a soil-applied manganese fertilizer is applied, a large portion of the manganese will be very quickly tied up, or fixed, in the soil in an unavailable form. Correcting Mn deficiency If you have a field, or part of a field, that is manganese-deficient, it is important to correct the problem as soon as possible to reduce the risk of yield loss. Foliar fertilization with an inorganic or chelated manganese source is the most effective means by which to correct a manganese deficient field crop. The foliar manganese should be applied at a rate of 0.5 to 1.0 lb Mn per acre with at least 20 gallons of water (30 gallons recommended). Chelated manganese sources have not been shown to be more effective and should be applied at rates equivalent to inorganic salts (manganese sulfate). Many products, particularly multi-nutrient products, are often labeled at very low rates, and care should be taken to assure that appropriate rates to correct the deficiency are applied. In some cases, a second application may be needed at a later date to correct the deficiency. Use caution if you plan on tank-mixing manganese fertilizer products with glyphosate products, as research has shown antagonism between many manganese fertilizer formulations and glyphosate. More information about this antagonism can be found in the accompanying article by Kurt Thelen. |
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| Tips to avoid weed control antagonism when applying Mn fertilizer with glyphosate Manganese deficiency is the most common crop micronutrient problem in Michigan, particularly in soybeans and wheat. The availability of manganese to the plant generally decreases as soil pH levels increase. Consequently, soybeans grown in the calcareous soils of Michigan’s Thumb area and in the lake-bed soils in Michigan’s Southeast Lower Peninsula, historically have been found to be deficient in manganese. When possible, producers in these areas prefer to tank-mix manganese micronutrient solutions with foliar applied herbicides to eliminate an extra trip across the field. As glyphosate is estimated to be used on approximately 80 percent of Michigan soybean acreage, reported reductions in weed control on some of these acres caused by tank-mixed manganese applications is an important issue. The cold, wet weather experienced in May may have exacerbated manganese deficiency problems due to poor soybean root growth. In a project funded by the Michigan Soybean Promotion Committee, MSU researchers have shown that weed control can be antagonized when some manganese fertilizers are tank-mixed with glyphosate. Field experiments showed a significant antagonism in common lambsquarters and velvetleaf, when glyphosate was tank-mixed with ethylaminoacetate- manganese, and slight antagonisms in tank-mixes with lignin sulfate- manganese and MnSO4-powder. Greenhouse studies have shown that an EDTA- manganese formulation enhanced glyphosate efficacy (by 25 percent in giant foxtail and 40 percent in velvetleaf). However, tank-mixes of each of the other manganese products caused significant antagonisms, reducing weed control by 10-30 percent when compared to glyphosate alone. One possible method for avoiding the antagonism is to apply the manganese fertilizer at a different time than glyphosate. In a greenhouse study, the ethylaminoacetate- manganese fertilizer was applied six, four and two days before-, two days after-, and at the same time as glyphosate. There were no differences in herbicide efficacy in giant foxtail for any of the two-pass timings. In velvetleaf, manganese sprayed two days before the glyphosate application reduced weed control by 15 percent. But this was not as severe as the 30 percent reduction when glyphosate and ethylaminoacetate- manganese were tank-mixed. A second method for avoiding the antagonism is to add an adjuvant to the spray tank that will prevent the antagonism, either by chelating the manganese tightly (with chelates such as EDTA or citric acid) or by preventing the manganese from binding to the glyphosate molecule (by adding ammonium sulfate). In greenhouse experiments, ammonium sulfate and EDTA improved herbicide efficacy in all glyphosate- manganese tank mixes except for EDTA- manganese, where efficacy remained the same. Citric acid antagonized the manganese -EDTA-glyphosate tank-mix, but improved the efficacy of all other manganese formulations. The degree that each adjuvant improved the different manganese -glyphosate tank-mixes varied, and will be the subject of future studies. In summary, if conditions are optimal for glyphosate control of weeds, i.e. weed pressure is low and weed size is small, you may get adequate weed control with glyphosate tankmixes with commercially available manganese formulations. However, even under these optimal conditions it is still advisable to add ammonium sulfate (17 lbs per 100 gallons of water) to minimize the antagonism imposed by the manganese. If weed control conditions are marginal, i.e. moderate weed pressure or moderate weed size, a chelated form of manganese such as an EDTA- manganese formulation, plus ammonium sulfate is recommended with glyphosate tankmixes. Finally, if weed control conditions are poor, i.e. heavy weed pressure (especially lambsquarters and velvetleaf) or large weed size, manganese should not be tankmixed with glyphosate. Rather, in these tough weed control conditions, manganese should be applied in a separate application following the glyphosate application. |
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| Michigan registration for new agricultural water withdrawals New wells and surface water withdrawals in Michigan installed February, 2006 that are capable of pumping 100,000 gallon per day (70 gpm) are now required to register with Michigan Department of Agriculture prior to beginning to pump. All water withdrawals that reported prior to 2006 are considered properly registered. Forms are available directly from the MDA website at: http://www.michigan.gov/documents/mda/MDA_NewLQW_RegistrationForm_181528_7.pdf or from St. Joseph County MSU Extension at http://www.msue.msu.edu/stjoseph then navigate to the link for irrigation on the left side. The latitude and longitude coordinates for the location are required for all new large scale withdrawal location. This information may be provided by handheld GPS units or the groundwater mapping website (http://gwmap.rsgis.msu.edu). Many MSU Extension offices or your local Conservation District office can assist with the use of finding the latitude and longitude coordinates. Providing the latitude/longitude location of withdrawals will allow mapping and analysis of effects of withdrawals on groundwater and stream base flow in the watershed basin. Information at the St. Joseph County MSU Extension website (http://www.msue.msu.edu/stjoseph) can assist in estimating water use for irrigation and other agricultural water uses. Lyndon Kelley, irrigation management educator for MSU Extension can answer many of the questions related to Michigan’s new water use process. He can be reached by phone at 269-467-5511 or e-mail kelleyl@msu.edu. An estimate of expected water use by the month is needed. Most irrigators will estimate their water use from experience multiplied by the number of acres irrigated. As an example: 100 acres with 1.5 inches of irrigation applied in June would have an estimated water use of 150 acre inches for the month. Three inches of estimated irrigation needed in both July and August and 1 inch in September, would give an estimated annual water use of 550 acre inches for the year. The registration process also calls for an estimate of consumptive water use. Consumptive water use is the amount of water that is lost from the area of withdrawal. Since most water pumped for crop irrigation ultimately goes into evapotransporation, the consumptive use is estimated to be high or about 90 percent. Water used for harvest cooling is mostly retuned back to the surface or groundwater so the consumptive use is estimated to be low or about 5 to 10 percent. Baseline capacity (rated capacity) The registration process establishes a “baseline capacity” based on the available withdrawal capacity of a system. The baseline capacity of the system should be reported as pump capacity in gal/min along with a pump and system description, which is compatible with the well log. Baseline capacity applies to both wells and surface water withdrawals. Please note: You should report this baseline capacity value on the registration form on the line listed as “rated capacity.” For further information, water resource specialist, Abigail Eaton of the Michigan Department of Agriculture Environmental Stewardship Division heads up the registration process for large water withdrawals. She can be contacted at 517-241-3933 or eatona@michigan.gov. |
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| Regional reports 1 -- Southeast Ned Birkey Weather The weather has changed this week from hot and dry, to more seasonal temperatures with scattered and even localized heavy rain on Tuesday, May 19, ahead of the front that came through the area a couple of days ago. Temperatures have moderated to near normal temperatures now. Crop reports Alfalfa is generally re-growing fairly well, with potato leafhoppers present, though not at threshold levels. Some dairy farmers are taking their second cutting now. Corn is growing evenly or unevenly, depending upon the soil, compaction, drainage and other conditions. Uneven fields are painfully apparent. Advanced fields are at the V10 growth stage. Corn borer trap numbers are very low. We have had leaf rolling in fields with sandy soils or compaction. I personally do not mind a somewhat drier than normal June, as I think the corn will root deeper, which will then benefit the plants later in the season. Oats have headed out, are still nice and green, though stands appear thin. Soybeans are showing a lot more yellow color than normal for this early in the season, due to soybean cyst nematodes, seedling root diseases, competition from weeds and herbicide injury from applications made during the past week’s hot temperatures. Non-glyphosate fields are having extra weed pressures, and in some cases the weeds are rapidly growing past the point of control, unless a farmer still has a rope wick applicator from the late 1970’s and 80’s. This job is harder now since most soybeans are drilled rather than in nice, neat 30 inch rows to traverse. Variant Western corn rootworm yellow, unbaited, sticky traps went up in Washtenaw and Lenawee counties’ soybean plots this week, and a Western bean cutworm trap was installed in Lenawee County yesterday. Soybean aphid and rust plots were also established in Monroe and Washtenaw counties this week, though no aphids were found at those locations. Wheat is turning color very rapidly with diseases readily found on the flag leaf. Head scab is apparent on some varieties that were flowering during the hot, humid, hazy, muggy and even foggy weather over the Memorial Day weekend or the following week of similar conditions. I think that wheat yields will be highly variable and perhaps now may be lower than normal overall, though it is difficult for me to predict wheat yields. I also will speculate that wheat harvest will be slightly earlier than normal, around July 1. Thistles, giant ragweed and other weeds will make harvest more difficult in some fields. Miscellaneous Farmers are working hard to finish corn and soybean fieldwork before wheat harvest. Windy and hot weather conditions have made post emerge spraying harder to accomplish. |
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| 2 -- Southwest Bruce MacKellar Weather Rainfall was widely variable from thunderstorm events that occurred on June 18 and 19. Precipitation totals ranged from around an inch along the Lake Michigan coastline to 0.1 - 0.2 inch in other areas. A portion of St. Joseph County received up to an inch of precipitation in a very limited area. Many areas in the southwest region have now utilized the early soil water reserves that were left from winter and spring rains. Advanced corn and soybeans have shown moisture stress over the last week, and with the light precipitation totals and extreme heat in the forecast for early next week, we can expect to take a bite out of yield potential of non-irrigated fields if we do not receive rainfall soon. Crop reports Irrigated commercial corn continues to look excellent. The most advanced fields are approaching shoulder height, with V12 corn being the most common for the earlier planted fields. ET rates are ranging between 0.15-0.18 of an inch of water per day on the most advanced fields. Dry land corn has been suffering from drought stress symptoms during the afternoon, especially earlier in the week when the temperatures were in the lower 90’s. Corn is considered to be exhibiting severe moisture stress when leaf rolling occurs for several hours during the afternoon. The accompanying chart shows an estimation of the yield losses per day and over a four day period of severe drought stress: Final yield decrease from severe drought stress
Water Deficit Effects on Corn. Agr. J. 62:652-655 European corn borer moth activity is continuing to decline. Rootworm larval feeding will continue until the beetles pupate and begin to emerge. We are beginning to see the emergence of Japanese beetles adults in St. Joseph County this week. Armyworm moths deposited along the Lake Michigan Coastline remain prevalent in areas, so we need to monitor fields for potential larval feeding in the future. Dr. Chris DiFonzo spent Wednesday morning looking at fields with sparse stands in various locations in St. Joseph County. She confirmed that a new pest, the Asiatic garden beetle, has moved into parts of southwest Michigan. We saw high numbers of pupating beetles in fields where stand losses had occurred. The larval stage of the pest, a white grub similar to Japanese beetle larvae, is the suspected cause of the stand loss. Purdue University entomologist, Dr. Christian Krupke, reported similar stand losses in northern Indiana last week. Seed corn planting was completed last week. Early planted seed corn is approaching V-12, and ranges down to V-2. Most stands look good following side-dress nitrogen applications. Seed corn following commercial corn or seed corn seems to have the most consistent weed control challenges. We have seen some Johnson grass or shatter cane escapes becoming evident at this point, as well as crabgrass. Irrigation has been running on seed corn and potato fields as the crop is reaching the point of higher levels of evapotranspiration. Early planted soybeans are beginning to flower. Bean leaf beetle feeding can still be found, but is dropping off. With the emergence of Japanese beetles, they will become the most significant defoliation threat. The high temperatures have pushed ahead the development of weeds, and many roundup ready soybean fields suffered at least some competition from fields where the weeds had gotten ahead of the herbicide application. Most fields will have suffered minimal losses, but some non-irrigated ones have reduced plant stands where dry conditions coupled with weed competition has thinned out shallow rooted soybeans. Soybean aphids continue to be found in very low numbers in fields. The treatment threshold is 250 aphids per plant, and in many fields, we struggle to find one to two aphids per plant. Aphids will be on the increase, however, and hot spots from other places in Michigan and the Midwest still are depositing winged aphids into the state. It will be increasingly important to monitor aphid numbers in the area, particularly if the dry conditions persist. Many fields of soybeans planted on the muck are showing classic symptoms of manganese deficiency. Foliar applications of this micro-nutrient can be very beneficial in greening up the leaf tissue and protecting yields. If the dry weather continues to hold, we also need to be on the lookout for bronzing caused by spider mites. Spider mites are really too small to be seen with the naked eye, but their feeding often causes leaves to take on a bronzing or stippled appearance. Alfalfa harvest moved into high gear here this week, as the first really good extended forecast that has shown an extended dry period. Potato leafhoppers are prevalent. Watch your alfalfa re-growth carefully for this pest, because the early re-growth period is the most vulnerable to “hopper burn” injury. It does not take many leafhoppers to cause serious injury on 2-3 inch alfalfa. Wheat has already turned and is in the final stages of development. Many fields were treated for fusarium head blight as a precaution because of the wet weather at flowering. The crop still looks to have good-excellent yield potential, especially where it was irrigated. Meetings The next St. Joseph County IPM Breakfast Meeting will be held on Wednesday, July 5 at the St. Joseph County MSU Extension office, 7:00 AM 9:00 AM. Cost is $7, which includes a catered in breakfast. Our guest speakers next time will be Steve Miller and Lyndon Kelley, who will talk about irrigation water management on field and vegetable crops. |
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| 3 -- West Central Fred Springborn Weather Much like last week, warm and dry sums up the weather for this past week, with an emphasis on dry. Irrigation systems are running across the county as rain fall totals have been in the range of 0.1 to 0.4 inch. High temperatures in the last week have ranged from the lower 80’s to the mid 90’s. Crop reports Wheat is beginning to turn in most fields. There is some evidence of head scab infection. Oats progressing in most fields are heading well with few insect of disease problems at this time. Corn growth ranges from V5 to V10+ with the majority in the range of V5 to V8. Irrigated corn is progressing exceptionally well. European corn borer trap catches are down this week with an average of one moth per trap at our Stanton site and four per trap at the Trufant trap site. Dry bean planting is nearing completion with 85 percent of the crop planted with many fields emerged. First cutting hay harvest is nearly complete. Potato leafhopper is active with both adults and nymphs present. |
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| 4 -- Central Paul Gross Weather The region received scattered showers on Monday, June 18 and Wednesday evenings. The amount varied from one half to just over one inch. The rains were timely as crops were beginning to show moisture stress. For the most part, crops are looking good and off to a pretty good start. There is adequate soil moisture from the winter and spring rain that can carry the crops during these low rainfall times. It will be more important to get timely rains in July and August during more critical pollination and grain fill periods. Crop reports The corn crop is progressing normally with the tallest corn being waist high. Stands vary from very good to poor. It is very evident where fields were planted wet, compaction exists or fertilizer applications were not uniformly applied, stand suffered. This is a good time to assess problem fields and plan to make corrections next year. Soybeans are doing very well with most stands uniform. We have found soybean aphids in several fields, but at low populations. Herbicide applications are being made at this time. The crop is off to a good start. Wheat is just beginning to turn. Prior to this week’s rains, wheat on light soils were severely moisture stressed. I expect we lost yield in those fields. Wheat on heavier soils appears to be doing well with good yield potential. We have not seen any head scab at this point. There are various foliar diseases, and the amount varies by variety. Harvest of second cutting alfalfa will begin next week. Leafhoppers are present in every field, but below threshold. Yields thus far are just average. Dry bean planting is completed. Emergence has been very quick. Scout fields for leafhoppers as populations are high this year. Sugarbeet fields have filled in the row, and the crop is doing well. |
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| 5 -- Thumb Mark Seamon Weather Warm temperatures with some light rain earlier in the week have advanced crop growth this week. The Northern and Eastern Thumb have fared better with rainfall than the rest of the thumb. Crop reports Alfalfa re-growth is limited due to the dry conditions. Sugar beets continue to add growth and are filling the rows in many fields. The wheat crop is responding to the dry warm weather with many fields drying quickly and losing color in the flag leaf and head. Rainfall is most welcome to help with grain fill. Corn is growing quickly with some fields reaching 36 inches and more. Leaf rolling can be seen in many fields, but this is not advancing as much as expected with the lack of rainfall. Subsoil moisture seems to be adequate and is keeping the crop healthy at this point. Most fields seem to be picking up sidedressed nitrogen with good color and plant health. In soybeans, most fields have good stands with some fields reaching the V5 growth stage. Soybean aphids are widespread, but variable in populations. Field to field variation as well as variation within fields is evident and increases the need for careful scouting. Some growers have added an insecticide with the first pass of glyphosate to control aphids. Emergence of the dry bean crop is good in most places, but seedlings are slow growing. Potato leafhoppers are active with feeding on beans that were not treated with Cruiser. |
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| Weather news Jeff Andresen Agricultural Meteorology Geography Showers and thunderstorms associated with a cool front moving across Michigan Tuesday, June 19 and again overnight Wednesday, helped ease moisture shortages in some areas of the state following a dry spell more than two weeks in length. Climatologically, the recent sunny, warm and dry weather pattern was unusual. Between June 7-18, summed potential reference evapotranspiration (the amount of evapotranspiration from a reference well-watered, 4 inch grass covered surface) generally ranged from 2.5-3.0 inches, or about 0.20-0.25 inch per day. Such rates over a more than 1 week continuous period are unusual for Michigan (they would be more typical of arid or semi-arid western locations in the western United States) and in many cases led to significant soil moisture depletion in the upper layers of the soil profile. While the actual rates of evapotranspiration during this period were generally less than the reference potential rates (due to the gradual drying of the soil profile), remember that the top 3-4 feet of most soils in the state only hold on the order of 3-8 inches of plant available water. Soils are thus entering the period of the growing season with highest water needs with a somewhat depleted moisture profile (this would be more true for relatively deep-rooted perennial crops than for annual crops). Looking ahead, the outlooks in general suggest a return of warmer and drier than normal weather. In the near term, the frontal boundary that moved through the state late Wednesday and Thursday is forecast to stall out just to the south of Michigan across the Ohio Valley and eventually to return northward through the state as a warm front, likely late this weekend. The front will likely lead to widespread showers and thunderstorms in areas of the central Cornbelt to the south and west of Michigan during the next few days. Some of this activity may reach into southern sections of the state late Friday and Saturday, otherwise dry weather is expected. Precipitation that does develop with this weather system is expected to be scattered in nature with most amounts remaining less than 0.25 inch. Dry conditions are expected over most all of the state Sunday and Monday. A second frontal system will approach the state from the northwest by late Monday, bringing the next best chance for significant rainfall, initially across northwestern sections of the state overnight Monday into Tuesday and across southern and eastern sections of the state by late Tuesday into Wednesday. Temperatures during the next couple of days will remain at near normal levels, gradually warming to much above normal readings by the late weekend into early next week. Some of the warmest temperatures of the year thus far are possible by next Monday and Tuesday across southern and central sections of the state. Look for with highs ranging from the low 70's north to near 80 south through Saturday, increasing into the 80's by Sunday. High temperatures in the low to mid 90s are possible in the southern Lower Peninsula by Monday and Tuesday, with upper 70's and low 80's north. Low temperatures will range from the upper 40's north to low 50's south through Thursday, increasing into the 60's by the weekend. Medium range forecast guidance is suggesting the formation of an upper air ridge across the Great Plains and western United States, with troughing across the eastern United States. With the ridge in place, both the 6-10 day and 8-14 day outlooks covering June 26-30and June 28-July 4 call for above normal temperatures state- and region-wide. Precipitation totals during the 6-10 day time frame are forecast to range from near normal levels across Lower Michigan to above normal levels in the western Upper Peninsula. Below normal precipitation totals are expected statewide during the 8-14 day period. |
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