Tuesday marked the 10th 80-degree day of 2023 but the warmest of the year was nearly one month ago. We are expecting Wednesday to be very warm

SUMMER-LIKE

Temperatures climbed well above normal Tuesday into the lower 80s areawide. This was the 10th 80° day of the year in Indianapolis and just a touch above the normal to-date of 8 days. We average 101 days 80° or higher.

Wednesday will be the warmest of the year and expected to surpass the April 20th high of 84° ahead of a late day wind shift and passing cold front. The predicted high of 85° is a bit overdue as the average date of the first 85° day normally falls on May 15th. Last year we hit it on May 10th (86°). The latest first 85° day came on June 26th, 1878.

A sharp cool off is coming as winds freshen up from the northeast late Wednesday. The temperatures will take a substantial dive behind a backdoor cold front. This is a front that slips in from the northeast and drives down much cooler air from southeastern Canada. Temperatures may fail to reach 70° Thursday but even more noticeable, early morning lows will be in the 40s Thursday and Friday morning.

No real changes to the extended outlook – particularly no real rain chances. Sunday is the day with the most clouds and any shower chance race day looks very isolated. What is eye-catching is the dry spell that is emerging. The outlook is a concerning one as there looks to be no real appreciable rainfall over the next 10 days and perhaps out to 14 days. This is an important time of the year for rainfall. Crops are planted but soil moisture can be depleted very quickly as the sun angle is nearing its peak height. We evaporate nearly a quarter-inch of moisture daily this time of the year and a “flash drought” could develop. Stay tuned, we will monitor trends carefully and provide updates.