Wet, dry, wet, dry, wet, dry.....The Bluegrass State has been going back and forth for most of the growing season and that trend has continued into September. Most of the state saw decent rainfall totals to start the month, but over the past couple weeks, it's ran extremely dry. Below is a look at those totals over the past 14 days. The brunt of these accumulations fell on the 11th and we've seen very little (if any) since. In fact, the state has only averaged 0.06 inches over the past week. While there have been some benefits to this recent dry/warm stretch (faster drydown, extended harvest window), some rain would be nice for pasture regrowth, establishment, and stockpiling (among other things).This is our dry season, so I wouldn't call it completely out of the norm, but...the forecast doesn't look very promising as we move forward.

Whether the dryness is seen as a positive or negative, there's very few opportunities for rain over the next week. We have a strong cold front set to pass through KY tonight/tomorrow, but rain accumulations are very limited. Looking at the latest model data, coverage looks isolated to scattered at best. Most will likely remain dry. The rest of the week follows a similar dry pattern with only occasional bouts of light activity. Below is a look at forecast accumulations over the next 7 days from the Weather Prediction Center. Bottom line....not much there. Take advantage if your corn is ready for harvest. As Dr. Kiersten Wise (UK Extension Plant Pathologist) explained in the latest Corn and Soybeans Newsletter, lodged corn could be an issue in 2022.

Toasty end to summer/Chilly start to fall

We're closing the summer season today with some high heat in place! Below is a look at maximum temperatures on the day from the Kentucky Mesonet. Most everyone across KY has risen into the low to middle 90s, but Western KY has taken the heat a step further. In fact, Graves County hit 100 today! Normal high temperatures for this time of year are supposed to be in the upper 70s to low 80s. According to the National Weather Service in Paducah, the 101 degree reading at Paducah-Barkley Regional Airport is the latest 100+ degree day ever recorded in station history. It's also the hottest day in Paducah since August 2nd of 2012!

Lucky for us, the high heat is coming to an abrupt end. The strong cold front mentioned above will usher a much cooler and less humid airmass into the region. In fact, some locations could see a 50 degree drop in temperatures when taking into account highs today (low to mid 90s) and lows on Friday morning in the 40s. Some folks could even dip into the low 40s and I can't completely rule out some Eastern Kentucky valleys breaking into the upper 30s. We then warm up temporarily over the weekend, before another cold front takes temperatures below normal for early next week. Fall has arrived!

Related News from UK and Beyond

Kentucky Crop Progress and Condition Report - USDA NASS Kentucky Field Office, September 19, 2022

Kentucky Forage News - UK Forage Specialists, September 1, 2022

Off the Hoof: Kentucky Beef Cattle Newsletter - UK Beef IRM Team, September 2022

Kentucky Corn and Soybean Production are Expected to be Smaller - USDA NASS Kentucky Field Office, September 12, 2022

What Says the Wooly Bear about Winter? - Dr. Jonathan Larson, UK Extension Entomology Specialist, September 13, 2022

Flood relief teams rely on horses to reach survivors stranded in Eastern Kentucky - Hillary Smith, UK Ag Communications, September 7, 2022

Rough year for Kentucky cattle producers after flood and drought - Aimee Nielson, UK Ag Communications, September 9, 2022