The start of May continued the trend of cold wet soils experienced in April. Daytime highs approached normal levels but night time temperatures remained below normal preventing the soil from warming up to that magical 50 degrees F. or 10 degrees C. level suitable to plant corn or soybeans. It was not until the tenth of May, that a week of much above normal temperatures permitted the soil to dry out and warm under the surface. Any seed put in the ground by the 10th benefitted from this heat and corn rows were visible in nine days. There were four days with high temperatures above 30 degrees for the month. This warmth, alas, was not to last and the Ormstown area returned to cloudy, wet and cool with grass minimum temperatures again returning to 0 degrees or slightly above during the night. The emerged crops put on the brakes and any further crop development was quite slow for the rest of the month especially after the 53 mms of rain that fell on May 27.
The average temperature for the month was the sixth warmest in the last 50 years with 15.4 degrees compared to:
last year14.1
Ten-year average14.3
Fifty-year average13.3
Warmest 199816.8
Coolest 19679.2
The above normal warmth was not reflected in the heat unit count as the cool nights reduced the daily accumulation. Heat units for the month beginning on May 12 were 398 compared to 399 last year and the ten-year average of 408.
Precipitation was normal for the first 3 weeks but quickly changed following the storm that dumped 53 mms to reach 112 mms or 4.4 inches. This is 32% above normal. The Chateauguay River rose five feet after the rain approaching the level of spring run-off.
The hay crop has enjoyed the cool wet growing season so far but growers are keeping a close eye on the dates for Ormstown Fair which has a reputation for bringing rain instead of good hay making weather. JUNE 9-12
Peter Finlayson
