I call this “China weather”. July 18 is the 6th anniversary of the day we were handed our adopted daughter in Nanchang, Jiangxi, China. We were over there for two weeks and it was 90-100 every day with a dewpoint of 70-80. One day it was 78 with a 76 dewpoint and breezy as the remnants of a typhoon passed. China is a beautiful country, but summer is brutal, as this summer is shaping up to be here.
The current heat wave is an expansion of a large bubble of heat over the center of the country, made even worse by extreme drought in Texas. One look at the Weather Service home page shows the expansiveness of the heat wave. Heat indices reached as high as 126F in Iowa on Sunday. To top it off, much of the Cincinnati area has now only had one good rain in July, and that 10 days ago. Soils are drying in the top layers and heat and water stress are becoming issues.
The convoluted thing is that a few areas have had rain, 2.50 inches this weekend in Maysville, KY. Also, with a very wet spring, many soils remain moist a few inches down so established trees are still mostly OK. The biggest water problems I have seen so far are more related to over reaction than drought. A few properties are being killed with kindness as irrigation systems are run daily and soils are flooded. Please see this link for tips on good watering practices. Remember, being Earth friendly includes watering correctly, making the most of our water resources while maintaining healthy and vibrant landscapes.