🌱 US Weather Warriors GrowCast — Friday, June 26, 2026
Hot, humid, and unsettled — heavy downpours and thunderstorms likely as a cold front approaches from the west.
Today's Weather Snapshot: Lows in the upper 60s to mid 70s, highs from 84 along the coast to near 92 inland. Showers and thunderstorms likely areawide, with PoPs running 66–89% and WPC flagging excessive rainfall potential. Winds around 5–15 mph, strongest near the coast. Dewpoints and humidity stay oppressive — muggy through the day.
Soil & Recent Rainfall: DEOS 2-inch soil temps averaged 73.4°F over the last 24 hours (range 70.5–76.1°F). No measurable rain at reporting stations in the past 24 hours, but that changes today.
Best Outdoor Work Window: Early morning before storms fire — finish anything critical before 11 AM. Otherwise skip today and aim for Sunday once the front clears.
Planting & Transplanting: Soil temps are well above the 60–65°F threshold for tomatoes, peppers, squash, and other warm-season transplants — but hold off. Saturated ground and storm risk make today a delay day for any planting or transplanting.
Watering & Irrigation: Hold off entirely. With heavy rainfall expected and topsoil already humid, irrigation today wastes water and risks waterlogging. Reassess Sunday after the front moves through.
For Gardeners: Get harvest done early — pick ripe tomatoes, squash, cukes, and beans before the storms. Stake or tie up anything top-heavy; gusts ahead of thunderstorms will knock down indeterminate tomatoes and tall sunflowers. Skip foliar sprays and fertilizer applications — they'll wash off within hours.
For Farmers & Growers: Field workability is poor; expect saturated ground through the weekend and likely into early next week. Spray windows are closed today between rain timing and gusty storm outflow. Hold hay cutting — drying conditions are out the window with above-normal precip signaled into the 6–14 day range.
Looking Ahead (6-10 day signal): CPC leans above-normal precipitation through the 6–10 and 8–14 day windows; no drought across DE/MD/VA.
Bottom Line: Stormy, soggy Friday — harvest early, skip the sprayer, and plan planting for next week.
— US Weather Warriors #DelmarvaWeather #GardenWeather #FarmWeather