Rick Shields Ag Weather 3-25-10

Some rain fell across the area beginning before dawn and lasting though late morning as a low passed well to our south.  By shortly after sunrise MSU’s rain gauge at the Kalamazoo Nature Center had picked up seven-hundredths of an inch.  Places like Hastings and South Haven recorded slightly more while other locations remained dry.

Another cool shot of Canadian air will blow into Southwest Michigan as low pressure moves up the Ohio Valley.  Wind gusts should top out at around 25 miles per hour and our high temperatures today and Friday will remain in the forties.  They’ll rebound back to the fifties Saturday and drop down a bit Sunday into Monday as we get our next shot at rain or an evening rain-snow mixture.

In spite of the cool down everyone’s talking spring and what needs to be done prior to planting.  The freeze line this morning was as far north as Sudbury, Ontario.  Our daytime normal highs are now around 50 and lows at the freezing mark.  So, how low has it gone in the past?  On this date 36 years ago Grand Rapids recorded its latest sub-zero temperature.  It’s another milestone in the march toward spring.