Hot weather has been a big topic in the southeast over the last few weeks. The wave of high temperatures that blanketed the southeast from June 28 – July 3 set records in many cities and drove many people indoors. Weather extremes also offer people a chance to weigh in on other periods where temperatures and conditions were far from ideal. It can also provide multiple challenges for golf course superintendents.
We ran across this graph in an article released by the University of Alabama Huntsville that shows summer high temperatures in interior Alabama dating back to 1883. It’s interesting to note that although we’ve had a few hot summers lately, there were hotter summers back in the 1920’s to 1950’s. It’s also interesting to look at the hottest 20 summers since 1883. If you would like to read more about this topic, please click on this link: http://heat and alabama climatology .
Alabama’s 20 Hottest Summers
1954 95.65
1902 95.36
1952 94.95
1943 94.35
1925 94.32
1930 94.13
1936 93.66
1914 93.49
1951 93.43
1921 93.34
2007 93.34
2010 93.30
2011 93.19
2006 93.17
1980 92.80
1899 92.79
1931 92.78
1953 92.70
1913 92.65
1897 92.61
Hot Weather Resources
For golf course superintendents with bentgrass putting greens, the goal of the summer is to manage this cool-season grass species in a way that maximizes turf health and minimizes turf stress until cooler temperatures arrive in late summer or early fall. In addition to scheduling a Turf Advisory Service visit to discuss on-course recommendations to promote maximum bentgrass survival and summer performance, we offer you complimentary access to these resources.
Seven Steps for Summer Survival (video): http://Bentgrass Survival Webcast
Tips for Surviving the Summer (article): http://Bentgrass Summer Survival Resources
Recovering From a Difficult Summer (article): http://Recovery After a Difficult Summer
Source: Chris Hartwiger (chartwiger@usga.org) and Patrick O’Brien (patobrien@usga.org)