🌱 US Weather Warriors GrowCast — Tuesday, June 16, 2026
Warm, humid, and unsettled across Delmarva with scattered thunderstorms and a heavy rainfall signal from WPC.
Today's Weather Snapshot: Highs from the upper 70s near the coast to the mid-to-upper 80s inland. Overnight lows near 63°F, well above frost range. Scattered showers and thunderstorms, with PoPs running 19-50% peninsula-wide. Winds manageable near 9-12 mph. Humid air mass — dewpoints supporting the heavy rain threat.
Soil & Recent Rainfall: DEOS 2-inch soil temps averaged 70.2°F across six stations (range 65.6-73.6°F). No measurable rainfall in the last 24 hours at reporting stations. Topsoils are running on the dry side at DTBR, DDFS, DGES, and DAGF — but that will change quickly with today's storm potential.
Best Outdoor Work Window: Morning is the window — get work done before 11 AM as storm chances build into the afternoon. If storms fire early at your location, push tomorrow morning instead.
Planting & Transplanting: Soil temps at 70°F easily clear the 60-65°F threshold for tomato, pepper, and squash transplants. That said, the rule call today is Delay — hold tender transplants until the wet/stormy trend passes so you're not setting them into saturated ground.
Watering & Irrigation: Skip irrigation today. With heavy rainfall potential on the WPC map and scattered storms in the forecast, let the sky handle it and reassess Wednesday.
For Gardeners: Use the dry morning to stake tomatoes, tie up indeterminates, and scout for early blight before humidity locks in. Hold off on transplanting peppers, eggplant, and cucurbits until soils drain. Harvest ripe strawberries and lettuce ahead of the storms to avoid split fruit and grit splash.
For Farmers & Growers: Field workability is Poor today given the storm and heavy-rain signal — postpone tillage, side-dressing, and any cutting of hay you can't get baled before rain. Spray windows are narrow; if you must go, target the early morning calm before convection initiates. Watch for lightning and shifting outflow winds if you're running equipment after midday.
Looking Ahead (6-10 day signal): CPC 6-10 day leans below-normal temperatures with near-normal precipitation, and drought is absent across DE, MD, and VA.
Bottom Line: Work early, skip the irrigation, and hold transplants until the storm pattern clears.
— US Weather Warriors #DelmarvaWeather #GardenWeather #FarmWeather