May has started off cool and a little bit wet, as is evidenced by the slow unfurling of the leaves and only a moderate growth spurt for the grass in the lawn. Activity in the fields has been limited; but with sunnier and warmer weather approaching, that will change very quickly.
The average temperature for the month to date was 8.9 degrees Celsius, a full five degrees below the normal of 14.5 C, and this despite the fact that two days were close to or exceeded 20 C for the daytime high. The coolness came from nighttime temperatures which were close to and even below zero on several occasions. The cool weather hasn’t helped the soil to warm up, still only reaching 15 C (60 F) on the warmer afternoons before descending back down to 10 C (50 F) at night.
20 millimetres of rain has fallen since the beginning of the month, which is about normal, but when added to the above-average rainfall from the end of March onwards, precipitation for the period is about 25 per cent above normal.
Most of the activities in the fields has been limited to surface cultivation for seedbed preparation and reseeding of winter wheat which was severely frost-damaged in areas. There are reports of early corn germination in a few fields that were dry enough to plant; hopefully the plants were not high enough and escaped the cold temperatures that reached as low as -3.5 C at ground level the night of May 8-9.
1 Comment
Thank you very much for the Bowser and Blue show last Friday. It was a much needed chance to share a laugh. A truly entertaining event.
Keep smilin’
George and Roberta Barrington