Our average for February is 66mm, it states we have had 76% more than this up to 26th. My maples are sitting in constant puddles like yours Emery. Doesn’t bode well for leafing out time.
Here, we've had 55.6 mm so far, +25% compared to the period 1981-2010. It's raining today, more to come until the 28th (or 29th).
My forecast is saying the sun will shine on the 7th March, believe it when I see it... Scientists are saying warmer but wetter winters for the future. So on the bright side, at least the heating bills won't bankrupt us all.
We have been wet the last few months too. 544mm/Dec 542mm/Jan 177mm so far in Feb with about 100mm more forecast before the end of the month. Funny to see ponds gathering in the sand dunes in the neighborhood.
Not saying we have had a lot of rain in the North but..... where's me trees gone ? Ha Ha Ha !!! :) :)
An amateur weather station close to me reports February rainfall of 96mm so far, approximately 70% above average and counting. January was 56mm, slightly below average and December was 107mm, around 25% above average. By comparison February 2023 was very dry, around 10.8mm.
Well, to respond to the origional post: Our winter has been really strange. -30C to + 6 at Woodhenge. -40 to +8 elsewhere in the Yukon. Nasty floods two springs ago due to heavy snowpack and heavy spring rains, scoured our creek down to bedrock. With the fluctuation in temps and snowfall vs melt this year I really hope there is enough moisture in the ground to hold a fire season at bay. Climate change deniers are ostriches. Some may argue where their heads are actually stuck.
That's a lot of rain. But check this out: In Oct, Nov, Dec 2023 we had 138mm, 163mm, 97mm. The total rain in 2023 was 1015mm. Now in Jan, and Feb 2024, we had 141mm and 118mm respectively. (I won't count March. Guess what, it's raining!) Out average rain in these months is around 70 mm (without looking it up. And then I got OCD and looked it up.) So in Jan and Feb we had 259 mm, against a 1971-2000 normal of 150 (December and January are the highest months normally.). The other months are usually around 60, so over the 5 months we would have seen 330 mm. What we got was 657 mm. That's about 200% of normal rainfall, or 99% above normal. Last Feb it was pretty normal, but in the drought year of 2022, we had less than 1 mm all month.
We had a small rain break Friday morning. We had 44mm rain on Thursday the 29th. Snowed for an hour Friday morning and then the rain returned with 36mm for the day. 7:50 began to accumulate, 8:10 quit, and 10:25 most of the snow was a distant memory.
Back in the fifties there was an old saying about March coming in like a lion and going out like a lamb. Do people still say that? Well that old cat bared its teeth this morning. We woke up to -30 celsius.
Yeah, boy. -30C is no joke. We had that saying growing up in NY, in the 60s/70s, and use it still, though it's not very appropriate in Normandie. Although we do (or did) have an occasional March snow storm. It's been a little cooler, getting down near freezing in the early mornings, but everything is very advanced , and combined with the wet -- I've dug a few holes to see about planting, but they just fill with water -- it's starting to prove necessary to repot some of the trees intended for the ground, because they're going to come into leaf, and the selected site is not plantable. Not sure what I'll be able to do unless we get a few days of dry.
Two more days of rain here and then a long warming stretch with temps reaching 23C by friday - saturday of next week. We decided to get the greenhouse cleaned up and prepped this weekend for the "early spring" arriving next week. Always nice to see so many signs of life within all the plants. And here too, very low overall rainfall amount for February. Snowpack amounts combined in all of BC are just over 60% so in the province possible increased fire / drought issues later this year. Almost becoming the norm now.
Just another glorious Spring day in the North of England this morning , we have rain coming down like stair rods with bitter cold blasting winds with hail and snow thrown in just for a bit of fun !!!! Mind you it was forecasted yesterday so yet again spent quite a while moving all the newly leafed out little fellas back into my workshop Phew !!! got than one right.
Sorry to hear that Mark, but May is only 2 weeks away and hopefully you will have some warm Spring weather. Glad the forecast was right for you though. The wind here is blowing at 45mph. The new delicate leaves are getting a hammering. But no hail or snow thankfully.
Well it's just getting beyond a joke now !!! Wednesday we had driving hail with more wind then rain to follow, then the forecast was for two nights of frost with air frost in some areas , that got my attention to say the least. So i have now got 30+ trees which were just on the cusp of fully opening tucked away safely until the weekend when it looks a lot more decent. Few pics to raise a smile :) :)
2 of my Japanese maples haven't even leafed out yet. Should I be worried? Zone 10b. Bloodgood Maple Shantung Fire Dragon Maple
I have the same but am zone 8b. In your zone they should be out, but a couple of weeks into May should see them leaf out. Perhaps post a couple of photos of the buds etc for members to give an opinion.
I know that summer weather has arrived when I see the hummingbirds checking my small red leaf maple. Then I hung the feeders up and set up hummingbird cam. At the same time all vegetation in the area has just exploded… it’s the perfect time of year.
@maf Think we’ll have to start watering the pots! No rain this weekend just gone..Milton Keynes had a right down pour apparently..I was in the garden building..looked looks it was going to happen but nothing!
Hey has anyone lost any maples over this past winter. I lost 3! And have 4 that I hope to nurse back to health. Unfortunately we had a fence replaced and had to move all our trees which left them more vulnerable to the weather
