🌱 US Weather Warriors GrowCast — Wednesday, June 17, 2026
Hot, humid, and unsettled — scattered thunderstorms and locally heavy rainfall headline a poor fieldwork day across Delmarva.
Today's Weather Snapshot: Lows in the upper 60s to low 70s, highs from the mid-80s at the coast to the low 90s inland. Scattered showers and thunderstorms, with WPC flagging heavy to excessive rainfall potential. Winds around 15-22 mph, gustier near storms. Humidity is high — dewpoints and RH already in the upper 80s to low 90s at DEOS sites.
Soil & Recent Rainfall: 2-inch soil temps across six DEOS stations average 71.3°F (range 67.6-74.2°F). Past 24 hours brought a trace to 0.05" of rain — topsoils are damp but not saturated heading into today's storms.
Best Outdoor Work Window: Early morning — before about 10-11 AM — is your cleanest window before storms and peak heat build. If storms fire early in your area, shift to Thursday morning.
Planting & Transplanting: Delay tender transplants until the pattern settles. Soils are plenty warm for warm-season crops (well above the 60-65°F threshold for tomato, pepper, squash), but heavy rain and wind make today a poor day to set plants out.
Watering & Irrigation: Hold off. With scattered storms and heavy-rain potential on top of already moist topsoils, let the sky handle it and reassess Thursday.
For Gardeners: Stake and tie tomatoes, peppers, and tall flowers ahead of gusty storm winds. Harvest ripe strawberries, lettuce, and any splitting-prone produce before downpours hit. Hold off on foliar sprays and fertilizer applications — they'll wash off.
For Farmers & Growers: Field workability is poor; expect short, storm-interrupted windows and wet ground in low spots. Spray windows are marginal at best given 20+ mph winds and thunderstorm timing. Hay down right now is at risk — don't cut into this pattern.
Looking Ahead (6-10 day signal): CPC 6-10 and 8-14 day both lean below-normal temps with near-normal precip; no drought across DE, MD, or VA.
Bottom Line: Work early, skip irrigation, and let the storms pass before pushing transplants or fieldwork.
— US Weather Warriors #DelmarvaWeather #GardenWeather #FarmWeather