By Tom Collins
OTTAWA — Farmers should expect a colder-than-normal start to the planting season, before shifting to warmer-than-normal temperatures around the third week of April right into early June, said an Environment Canada senior climatologist.
“The warmup has been very slow, but it’s been slow across the entire country,” said David Phillips. “That warmup is eventually going to come, and when it breaks, it will be glorious.”
Environment Canada doesn’t forecast precipitation more than about a week in advance because it’s unreliable. A February warmup melted much of the snow, which helps reduce the chance of flooding, he added.
“Soil moisture from the kind of winter precipitation that we’ve had up to now is actually very good,” said Phillips. “It’s very close to normal — just like gold for a farmer.”
