Weather Data for Agriculture: Climate, Soil & Crop Insights for Any Field

Every farming decision is a bet on the weather. Which crop to plant, when to sow, how much to irrigate, when to spray, and when to harvest all depend on temperature, rainfall, soil moisture, and sunlight. Yet most farms still make these calls from a generic regional forecast, or from memory of "what the weather is usually like around here." Field-level data does better, and it no longer requires an agronomist with GIS software to get it.

This guide covers the weather and environmental variables that matter most in agriculture, how to combine them into practical decisions, and how to pull all of them for any field on Earth in a few clicks.

The Weather Variables That Drive Farming Decisions

Temperature: Growing Season and Frost Risk

Long-term monthly temperature averages define what a location can grow. The minimum temperatures matter as much as the means: a site whose April minimums regularly dip below zero is a frost trap for early-flowering fruit trees and vines, even if its average looks mild. Ten years of monthly minimums and maximums reveal both the length of the reliable growing season and the frequency of damaging extremes.

Precipitation and Snowfall

Monthly precipitation totals show how rainfall is distributed across the year, which is often more important than the annual sum. A region receiving 600 mm concentrated in winter behaves completely differently for a summer crop than one receiving the same amount spread evenly. Historical weather data makes this distribution visible at a glance.

Evapotranspiration: The Other Half of the Water Balance

Rainfall tells you what arrives. Evapotranspiration (ET) tells you what leaves through evaporation and plant transpiration. The gap between the two during the growing season is, to a first approximation, your irrigation requirement. Satellite-derived ET at 500 m resolution lets you estimate this balance per field rather than per region.

Soil Moisture

Volumetric soil water content in the top soil layer is the variable that connects rainfall to crop stress. Tracking its monthly climatology shows when soils typically dry out, and comparing the current value against the long-term average for the same month is a simple, effective drought indicator.

Wind and Solar Radiation

Wind speed governs spray drift (most herbicide labels prohibit application above roughly 4–5 m/s), evaporative losses, and lodging risk in cereals. Net solar radiation drives photosynthesis and is a core input for crop growth and greenhouse siting decisions. Both are available as current conditions, forecasts, and 10-year histories.

Three Time Horizons, Three Kinds of Decisions

• Right now (nowcast): Is the wind low enough to spray today? Is the soil warm enough to sow? Current conditions from NOAA GFS answer the operational questions.
• Next 7 days (forecast): Is there rain coming that makes irrigation unnecessary? Is a frost night ahead during flowering? The 7-day forecast covers scheduling: harvest windows, spray windows, irrigation runs.
• Last 10 years (climatology): Can this site support this crop at all? Monthly averages from ERA5 reanalysis (2015–2025) answer the strategic questions of crop selection, variety choice, and land purchase.

Beyond Weather: Soil, Vegetation, and Terrain

Soil Properties

Weather determines what a season delivers. Soil determines what the field can do with it. Texture (sand, silt, clay), pH, organic carbon, and bulk density set water-holding capacity, nutrient availability, and workability. See our dedicated guide to global soil data for the full list of properties available for any location.

NDVI: Watching the Crop from Space

The Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) measures canopy greenness from satellite imagery. Its real power for farming comes from the time series: comparing this month's NDVI against the same month in previous years flags drought stress, disease outbreaks, or failed germination weeks before they are obvious from the road. It's also a fast way to assess the productivity history of land you are considering buying or leasing.

Terrain and Erosion

Slope and aspect influence frost drainage, sun exposure, and machinery limits, while the combination of slope, rainfall intensity, and soil type determines soil erosion risk (RUSLE). Low-lying areas with a high topographic wetness index are candidates for waterlogging in wet years.

Practical Workflows

1. Assessing a New Site or Crop

1. Draw a polygon around the parcel in the dashboard.
2. Check the historical monthly temperature range against your crop's tolerance, paying attention to minimums during the flowering months.
3. Compare monthly precipitation with monthly ET to estimate the seasonal water deficit.
4. Review soil texture and pH against the crop's requirements.
5. Check slope, erosion risk, and NDVI history to spot problem areas.

2. Planning Irrigation

Use the precipitation and soil moisture climatology to identify the months when the water deficit typically opens, then use the 7-day precipitation forecast to skip irrigation runs ahead of rain. Over a season this avoids both stress days and wasted water.

3. Monitoring During the Season

Save your fields as locations, then periodically compare current NDVI and soil moisture against their 10-year monthly averages. Deviations are your early-warning system. Export the data to Excel or CSV if you want to run your own analysis or feed a farm management system, or use the REST API to automate it.

How to Get Agricultural Weather Data on PixelGust

1. Open the dashboard at pixelgust.com/app.
2. Click your field, enter coordinates, or draw a polygon around it for area-wide statistics.
3. Enable the panels you need: Weather (nowcast, forecast, historical), Soil, Environment (NDVI, ET, land cover), Terrain, and Hazards.
4. Switch to Historical to see 2015–2025 monthly averages and interactive time series charts.
5. Save and export: save fields for quick access, and export Excel/CSV files or PDF reports for agronomists, lenders, or your own records.

Data Sources

PixelGust's agricultural data stack combines ERA5 reanalysis (ECMWF) for 10-year historical climate at 0.25° resolution, NOAA GFS for current conditions and 7-day forecasts, Copernicus Global Land Service NDVI at 300 m, MODIS MOD16A2 evapotranspiration at 500 m, SoilGrids (ISRIC) soil properties at 250 m, and Copernicus DEM terrain at 30 m resolution.