Kemptville Comets (in blue) eight- and nine-year-olds play South Dundas Pioneers at Williamsburg at sunset surrounded by corn fields on August 25. (Morgan Douglas photo)
Farmers Forum staff
EASTERN ONTARIO — Eastern Ontario will see above average seasonal temperatures for the fall harvest period, Environment Canada reports.
“Generally speaking, every model is in agreement that the fall is going to be above average in terms of temperatures,” Environment Canada meteorologist Steve Flisfeder said, though he cautioned the information needed to be “taken with a grain of salt.”
The precipitation side “is more of a question mark,” he acknowledged, with competing models showing both slightly higher rainfall and slightly lower. “So we can’t really give any concrete determination.”
The coming season follows a hot, dry August in Eastern Ontario. Daily average temperatures were 2 to 4 degrees Celcius above seasonal average, while rainfall in August was down 25 to 50 per cent.
July was “pretty much average” temperature-wise but with 25 to 50 per cent more rainfall than usual, according to Flisfeder. June was about 2 degrees warmer on average. June precipitation was average, though a few pockets saw 10 to 20 per cent more rain, he said.
Intriguingly, crop heat units received during the growing season were slightly behind the 30-year average by the fourth week of August. Crop consultant Gilles Quesnel reported 2,350 accumulated heat units as of Aug. 23 — 50 heat units behind an average year. And yet the crops were a week to 10 days ahead of schedule.
