🌱 US Weather Warriors GrowCast — Wednesday, July 22, 2026
Flood Watches and training storms are the story — wet ground shuts down most fieldwork across Delmarva today.
Today's Weather Snapshot: Lows near 66°F, highs around 86°F. Scattered to numerous thunderstorms, highest PoPs (83-96%) along the coast from Ocean City to Cape Charles. Winds near 10-25 mph, strongest at the beaches. Dewpoints and humidity are tropical — RH sitting in the 90s at DEOS sites.
Soil & Recent Rainfall: 2-inch soil temps averaged 76.1°F (range 73.6-77.8°F) across six DEOS stations. 24-hour rainfall topped out at 3.22 inches at DTBR, with every reporting station showing wet topsoil. Soils are saturated basin-wide.
Best Outdoor Work Window: Skip today. Morning hours inland (Wilmington, Dover) carry the lowest storm chances if you have a truly urgent task, but wet ground and a Flash Flood Warning in the mix argue for standing down until the front clears.
Planting & Transplanting: Planting window is Delay. Soil temps are plenty warm for anything warm-season, but saturated ground will rot seed and drown transplants. Hold tender transplants until soils drain and the rain trend breaks.
Watering & Irrigation: Shut irrigation off. With 1-3+ inches in the gauge and more storms in the forecast, no field or garden on Delmarva needs supplemental water today or tomorrow.
For Gardeners: Stay out of soggy beds — walking wet soil compacts it for the rest of the season. Scout tomatoes and cucurbits for early blight, downy mildew, and bacterial spot once you can get back in; humidity near 99% is disease weather. If you can, tie up tall crops before the next round of gusty storms.
For Farmers & Growers: Field access is Poor and spray windows are closed — wind is marginal, storms are firing, and any residual or foliar application will wash. Hold hay on the ground only if you can guarantee a dry stretch, which this pattern won't offer. Check tile outlets, waterways, and low-field drainage while the rain is still falling.
Looking Ahead (6-10 day signal): CPC 6-10 and 8-14 both lean above normal for temperature and precipitation; Drought Monitor shows no drought across DE/MD/VA.
Bottom Line: Wet, stormy, and unworkable — stand down and let the ground drain.
— US Weather Warriors #DelmarvaWeather #GardenWeather #FarmWeather