The pumpkin harvest on more than 2,000 acres is underway in the fields east, west, and south of Manteca but there isn’t a trace of frost anywhere.

That’s because a stubborn heat wave is expected to keep the highs in the low 100s through at least Thursday.

And the “frost is on the pumpkin” line penned by 19th century American poet James Whitcomb Riley isn’t going to apply to an October morning in Manteca-Ripon-Lathrop anytime soon.

South San Joaquin Irrigation District Director Peter Reitkerk noted “Mother Nature is definitely having a tough time” working her way into fall this year.

The SSJID board is ending the irrigation season Oct. 19.

And there’s a strong likelihood that farmers will retake advantage of what irrigation runs are left given that some orchards are showing stress and the almond harvest is starting to wrap up.

The harvest started a little bit earlier this year with farmers anticipating a lower yield.

Once nuts that have been shaken to the ground and swept up, farmers may have the option of doing one last irrigation run.

Not a record October

for high temperatures

The 100 degree high Monday was not an October record for Manteca overly the roughly 60 years of local temperatures being recorded.

The high was on Oct. 2, 2024 when it reached 105 degrees.

The National Weather Service is calling for a high of 101 degrees today, 103 degrees on Wednesday, and 100 degrees on Thursday before it is expected to drop down to 96 degrees on Friday.

The hottest Manteca high ever recorded was 115 degrees on Sept. 6, 2022.

SSJID water outlook

Sept. 30 marked the end of the water year.

New Melones — the largest reservoir on the Stanislaus watershed that includes Manteca, Lathrop, and Ripon — was at 63.2 percent of its capacity or 1,530,000 acre feet out of a storage capacity of 2.4 million acre feet as of Oct. 3.

Reitkerk noted that has put SSJID in a good position in terms of the conservation “account” of a maximum of 600,000 acre feet in Melones the district shares with the Oakdale Irrigation District.

Reitkerk emphasized the water storage situation can still be impacted depending on Mother Nature, the size of the new weather year’s snowpack and the trimming off the snow melt among other factors.

That is what judicious use of water should be a priority for end users.

To contact Dennis Wyatt, email dwyatt@mantecabulletin.com