🌱 US Weather Warriors GrowCast — 2026-05-23
Heavy rain, gusty winds, and thunderstorm chances shut down most fieldwork across Delmarva today.
Today's Weather Snapshot: Highs in the low-to-mid 70s, lows near 51-57°F. Widespread rain with PoPs running 87-99% peninsula-wide. Winds 15-25 mph, strongest near the coast at Lewes and Ocean City. Humidity is high and thunderstorms are possible through the day.
Soil & Recent Rainfall: DEOS 2-inch soil temps average 62.9°F (range 59.5-69.3°F). 24-hour rainfall up to 0.60 inches, with four of six stations reporting wet topsoil.
Best Outdoor Work Window: Skip today — wind, rain, and storm risk make outdoor work poor. Reassess Sunday once the heaviest rain clears.
Planting & Transplanting: Delay tender transplants until the weather trend improves. Soils are warm enough for tomato, pepper, and squash (≥60°F at most sites), but saturated ground and gusty winds will set young plants back. Hold seed and starts in protected space for now.
Watering & Irrigation: Hold off — soils are already wet and more rain is on the way. No irrigation needed for several days.
For Gardeners: Use the indoor day to pot up tomato and pepper starts, sharpen tools, and stake supports for when wind eases. If you have established beds, check for ponding around squash and bean seedlings and clear drainage paths. Hold off mulching wet soil.
For Farmers & Growers: Field access is poor and will stay that way through the rain event — no spraying with gusts to 25 mph and storm cells around. Push planting and side-dress passes to mid-next-week once soils firm. Hay down now is a loss; wait for a clearer drying window.
Looking Ahead (6-10 day signal): CPC 6-10 and 8-14 day both lean below-normal temps and below-normal precip; drought-free across DE/MD/VA.
Bottom Line: Stand down today — wet, windy, and stormy; plan to restart fieldwork once the system clears.
— US Weather Warriors #DelmarvaWeather #GardenWeather #FarmWeather