BROOKINGS, S.D. – Warmer than average temperatures are expected to continue through October 2015 in South Dakota, according to the latest climate outlook released by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) Climate Prediction Center this week.
“We still have not seen a hard freeze in most of the state, and it looks like it could be another week or two before we see a widespread freeze,” says Laura Edwards, SDSU Extension Climate Field Specialist. “This has been a great year without worries of early frost in crops and gardens and pleasant for outdoor activities.”
With the dry conditions over the last four to six weeks in the western and northern counties, Edwards added that current conditions also reduced the risk of saturated soils and moist grain during this year’s harvest season.
Dennis Todey, South Dakota State Climatologist & SDSU Extension Climate Specialist added, “Very warm September temperatures helped round out the growing season for crops and led to sufficient maturing and drying of soybeans and corn and other fall harvested crops in the field,” he said.
Preliminary data show that nearly 50 stations ranked September 2015 among the top 10 warmest on record with five locations ranking Sept. 2015 as the warmest including; Lead, Lemmon, Pollock, Timber Lake and Waubay.
Todey said these stations ranged 5 to 8 degrees above average for the month. “The rest of the state was very warm, also, though not ranking quite as high,” he said.
Throughout the month of September, Todey said precipitation was highly variable.
“Four locations in the south central to southeast regions of the state were in the top 10 wettest, with some single day totals of more than 4-inches in late September. At the same time, in southwest and northeast areas of the state, 13 locations ranked this September among the 10 driest. Many locations received less than half an inch of rain in the month,” Todey said.
October Climate Prediction Good for Harvest
Edwards said the predicted outlook looks to be continued good news for fall harvest and outdoor activities.
“Warmer than average conditions are favored statewide in the month ahead, and there is some potential for drier than average conditions in the far eastern part of the state,” Edwards said.
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