The Indiana State Climate Office recently released its 2024 Growing Season Climate Summary: April – October, by author Austin Pearson. This is a season of reflection, so I thought it fitting to recap our 2024 Indiana growing season using some excerpts from Pearson’s report, with a few comments of my own.
The 2024 growing season in Indiana began with unseasonably warm temperatures, causing vegetation to break dormancy approximately two weeks earlier than normal – in mid-March for the central and northern areas of the state.
April brought wet conditions, making early planting challenging. Early planted crops benefited from initial soil moisture, while later planted crops struggled due to limited rainfall in June.
In early July, remnants of Hurricane Beryl provided much-needed rainfall, improving crop conditions. However, parts of Indiana began drying out in August and September. The remnants of Hurricane Helene brought short-lived relief to southern Indiana, but not to northern Indiana.
Drought rapidly intensified across the entire state, and some counties had burn bans. Numerous roadside fires and combine-sparked fires occurred.
Harvest proceeded quickly and was mostly completed by the end of October. The drought negatively influenced yields and pastures in affected areas.
The 2024 growing season concluded with temperatures ranging from 1 degree F to over 2 degrees F above normal. Precipitation patterns were predominantly drier than normal, with only isolated areas in the northern and eastern regions experiencing slightly above-normal precipitation.
Find Pearson’s full report in a featured article in the Purdue Pest & Crop newsletter at: https://extension.entm.purdue.edu/newsletters/pestandcrop/issue/2024-30/.
One continuing concern is the drought. According to the U.S. Drought Monitor as of Dec. 19, 2024, northern Indiana remains in a moderate to severe drought. Whitley County currently sits in the middle of a severe drought area.
Winter precipitation can improve the situation, but only if we get water infiltration when the ground is not frozen. Otherwise, most of the moisture received will run off the surface, eventually reaching waterways.
Indiana entered 2024 in a water deficit from 2023. Despite spring precipitation that appeared to erase that drought through about mid-May, we again find ourselves in a droughty situation.
A lot can happen between now and next spring – we’ll have to wait and see what the 2025 growing season brings us.