With less than a week to go in June, it is a good time to check in how the growing season is going at about near the half way point. The featured chart presents accumulated growing degree days, precipitation, and stress degree days for the ISU Soil Moisture station just west of Ames for this year and last. Each both presents the accumulated climatology based on longer term NWS COOP data. The chart nicely tells the story for 2026 that has been mostly common for the entire state. We are in good shape with growing degree day accumulations, but have recently been loosing a bit of ground with the cooler overnight temperatures. Precipitation remains a bit below average, but nothing too dry. And stress degree days remain well below average, which helps to mitigate impacts from below average precipitation. The story of 2026 does look to change next week with much warmer temperatures and increased humidity.

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