***** 9 May Update ***** More details available on the recent outbreaks in VA. No changes to the risk assessments from Wednesday. Trajectories for Wednesday from southern VA and northeast NC are provided.
FORECAST SUMMARY: Wednesday, May 8:
*** TELETIP is now available *** Dial 1-800-662-7301, as before. Follow the simple voice prompts. Press '2' for the burley forecast, '3' for the flue-cured forecast.
*** Disease Update - 8 May *** Blue mold has been discovered in Virginia. Blue mold was confirmed on May 6 in south-central Virginia, Brunswick County and Dinwiddie County. Outbreaks in each of 5 greenhouses were active. Necrotic lesions were observed in one greenhouse in Dinwiddie County. This and other symptoms suggest that disease has been present for some time. Dewitt, VA will be used as the starting site for forecast trajectories.
*** Disease Update - 6 May *** Growing areas around Bunn, NC and Henderson, NC (Vance County) have several known outbreaks of blue mold. Infected plants have been transplanted in Granville County. Active blue mold, some of it with heavy sporulation, has been observedin Granville County. These fields are being destroyed. Infected transplants may also have been moved to Warren County, where blue mold has been confirmed, and possibly into Virginia. Growers in all areas are being encouraged to destroy infested fields.
*** Very warm and mostly dry weather near the source regions Wednesday and Thursday. Airborne spores from NC and VA may affect regions to the north. *** Trajectories from NC and VA move through the eastern mid-Atlantic states and New England on Wednesday. Thursday's trajectories move northeast. Sky conditions will be mixed during transport each day. Showers most likely from VA northward each day, in the vicinity of a frontal boundary. Chance of showers northern NC on Wednesday, slight chance or less on Thursday. Moderate Risk Wednesday for the northern piedmont of NC, southern VA, MD, southeast PA, and southern New England. Low Risk elsewhere. Moderate Risk Thursday for south-central and southeast VA, and MD. Low Risk near the NC source, and beyond MD. Trajectories from the southern GA / northern FL regions move ENE each day. Conditions are unfavorable for disease development near the source or along the forecast trajectories. Low Threat from these areas Wednesday and Thursday.
TK
Serious Threats: None
HIGH RISK areas: None
Current Sources:
Previous Sources:
Pinar del Rio, Cuba
Santiago, Dominican Republic
Papantla, Veracruz, Mexico
Tepic, Nayarit, Mexico
Local Weather in North Carolina is available from the WRAL-TV5 Weather Center, which also has links to other weather sites.
***** NOTE: These forecasts/outlooks only apply to disease development from airborne transport of spores!!! We do not have the capability to ascertain blue mold development by other means, such as transplanting of infected seedlings, nor will we attempt to do so. Please consult the Extension Service personnel in your area if you have concerns about these matters! *****
This service is provided by the North Carolina State University departments of Plant Pathology and Marine, Earth, and Atmospheric Sciences.