July has stayed true to the course it started with – a little bit cool and quite dry in the first half of the month. But, just as the weather does all the time, it is about to change and become hotter and wetter.
The average temperature ramped up a bit in the last week, now sitting at 20.3 degrees Celsius, which is up slightly from the previous week at 19.7 degrees Celsius but still just over a degree below the monthly normal of 21.1 degrees Celsius. Cooler than normal days have been the culprit, but that is about to change with temperatures forecast in the high 20s for the coming week.
There was one good belt of rain on Tuesday last, with 13 mm of precipitation for the week. The monthly total now stands at 15 mm, which is considerably below normal. Showers and thundershowers are forecast for the week ahead, which will be timely if they leave behind more than a few drops of water.
The corn heat units (CHU) are following the same trend with 399 CHU so far for the month. The normal for the month is 799 CHU, so on a prorated basis, the CHU’s should be at 412. Since May 12th, the total CHU accumulation has been 1460, with the normal being 1475 CHU.
A few fields of corn have started to tassel out, and many more will follow with the forecast heat in the coming week. Strawberries are coming to a close, blueberries have started, and the sweet corn is almost, almost, almost ready!
