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Livestock Wx for the week of July 10, 2018: May-June Record Minimum Temperatures
Hot Minimum Temperatures
It might be an understatement to say we’ve experienced hot temperatures over the last two months. One thing that often gets overlooked, however, is how hot the minimum temperatures have been. Minimum temperatures being the average low temperature for any given day.
As many know, high minimum, or nighttime temperatures, can have negative effects on livestock production and interfere with heat regulation.
Over the last two months (May-June) minimum temperatures have been much higher than what would normally be expected. Looking at some of the new ranking data that came out on Monday (July 9), the May-June average minimum temperatures were 69°F (5°F above average) for Texas and 66°F (also about 5°F above average) for Oklahoma.
The chart below shows the average minimum temperatures for May-June going back to 2000 for Texas, Oklahoma, and New Mexico. The size of the circle indicates how far above average each year has been. No circle means the minimum temperature for that year was either average or below average.
We discuss this in more detail in the July issue of the Livestock Journal http://livestockwx.com/subscribe/
What to Expect for the Rest of July
A huge dome of high pressure will dominate the weather over the South-Central U.S. and much of the nation heading into the second half of the month of July.
Under the ridge of high pressure, expect above-normal temperatures and much below-normal rainfall, however, there are signs that the jet stream will dip south next week resulting in cooler air, but this will be mainly for the Northeast quarter of the nation. It is “iffy” if much of the pleasantly-cooler air will work into the South-Central U.S.
The outlook (see below) for the next two weeks calls for below-normal rainfall, which will likely lead to expansion or intensification of drought impacts.
