Weather Forecast and Manure Spreading Advisory


The following links may be used for either assessing past weather events, or forecasting future weather (i.e. precipitation) events. Once you access the link, you may have to adjust the location of the forecast by typing in the location of your facility.
  
Whatcom Conservation District's precipitation analysis to date is available here
  

Weather Forecast

When discussing the forecast, the current day is always included. For example, a 3 day forecast is for the current day and two days forward.
  • Farming Forecast - A detailed weather forecast providing predicted rainfall amount and farmer related factors such as soil moisture and growing conditions. Be sure to check your own fields for these factors as every location will vary and websites usually just give an area average. (Source: The Weather Channel)
  • Weather Spark - A unique way to see the forecast details in graphical form.

Current Weather Conditions

  • AgWeatherNet– Current, detailed weather conditions for the Whatcom Count area. Use this information for assessing temperature, wind speed, wind direction, etc. prior to applications or irrigation events. If necessary, adjust your practices accordingly to accommodate current weather conditions. This can be viewed as an app or web page on your smart phone or tablet. Great real time information. (Source: Washington State University)
  • Farm West - A Canadian based page that gives a short range forecast as well as good information on manure application practices as they relate to the current weather and season.

Previous Weather Events

  • Weather Underground – Access historical data for total daily rainfall. Use this information to asses how much rain has fallen in the past 2 days as an indicator of soil moisture and field conditions. (Enter in your location then click on “Weather History for This Location” on the left for historical information).
  • CoCoRaHS – Community Collaborative Rain, Hail and Snow Network is a community based volunteer input of precipitation data on a daily basis. Get a look back at total daily rainfall amount up to the current day and use this information to asses how much rain has fallen in the past 2 days as an indicator of soil moisture and field conditions. Select "WC" for Whatcom County to find local station records or use the map view to find historical precipitation data.

Long Term Forecast and Discussion

The following two sources provide a discussion of the long range forecast as well as current weather events. This can be used for anticipating coming weather events and planning your manure applications accordingly. However, please be sure to always check the short range forecast prior to application.