By Tom Collins
OTTAWA — It’s not the amount of rain you get, it’s when you get it.
That oft-repeated dictum has been tested the last two growing seasons. In 2016, there was a drought at the start of the growing season but in the end yields were average. This year, record rainfalls during planting season led to flooding in many fields, but overall farmers have been hauling out average yields.
Ottawa set a new rainfall record this year. Overall, Canada’s capital had 1,146.4 mm of rain from Jan. 1 to Nov. 19. That’s double last year’s 572 mm for the entire year and smashed the record of 1,007 mm set in 2006.
Many other areas reported near-record rainfalls.
Most of Eastern Ontario and East-Central Ontario saw higher-than average amounts of rain from April 1 to Oct. 31 this year. Many areas ranged from recording 100 mm to 300 mm more than the five-year average.
