*** Special Report - First Occurrence of Blue Mold on U.S. Cultivated Tobacco ***
FORECAST DISCUSSION: Thursday, May 9 - Blue Mold has been reported in 3 fields in Columbia and Union Counties in N Florida. So far, the activity is very light and no other reports have surfaced. High pressure just off the coast has kept the weather generally partly cloudy, dry, and hot this week. However, there have been some isolated showers/t'storms in the area on one day or another, so some highly localized spreading may have occurred. The trajectory into GA and the Carolinas seems threatening, but other factors necessary for disease spreading are minimal, so it's a low risk source today.
Elsewhere, the threat of disease spread has remained minimal over the past several days. Trajectories from the Cuban sources are still westward over the Gulf of Mexico under mostly sunny skies, only reaching the TX or LA coast after two days. Blue mold on the wild tobacco in S TX/N Mexico is still weak. However, there have been some isolated showers in the region each afternoon, and mostly cloudy skies have persisted in some areas, so there may be some pockets of revitalization. Long-distance transport has not been likely, though. Trajectories are still north into the plains and have stayed west of the Mississippi River in almost all cases; after enduring some harmful effects of sunshine during travel, the spores have run into rainfall along the stationary front that is still hanging around. Full-fledged forecasts Friday afternoon!
HIGH-RISK SOURCES: None
Web page last updated by Thomas Keever on 9 May 1996.