Weather 2012

[Todd Boland]

Yesterday and today were both record highs...hit 21 C yesterday and 20 C today.  Tomorrow is forecasting 3 C!  Too much of a shock to the system.  We actually need some rain...it has been a dry April.

[cohan]

No rain needed here-- there has been rain or snow (mostly snow) daily  it seems for the last couple of weeks, cloudy and generally chilly, and we still have plenty of snow from winter- I went for a walk in the bus today, and while many areas are bare, in other places there is still knee deep snow.

Supposed to go up from tomorrow on- highs 11 to 18C, nights +1 to -6 with several days of sun- should be a lot of melting, which means wetter yet for a while!

[Hoy]

Today I am at my summerhouse - have to do some work here - and the rowans, birches and bird cherries have leafed out! Also the fruit trees are in flower here. It is a bit strange as usually it's earlier at home than here. But an hour's drive inland it snowed thickly and was difficult to drive.

[cohan]

We have some warmer days coming (9-16C) but some of those days cloudy, still, we should get some serious melting...

[Hoy]

Not much talk about weather lately!
I'm sitting inside now, should have been outside weeding but a tremendous thunderstorm is approaching.

[Hoy]

Fortunately I wasn't hit by the worst but it is still raining, thundering and a black sky.
The nearest city  (Haugesund 13miles away) is seriously hit by the worst rain in ages.

http://www.h-avis.no/nyheter/30-kjellere-i-haugesund-oversvomt-1.7464744

[cohan]

Wow! There has been local flooding- roads and streets etc- in Edmonton several times this year, and tornadoes, near tornadoes in several places in the province, but luckily no problems right around here- still quite wet- I had to put boards over the mud to work on the rock gardens several times...

[Lis Allison]

We're having the opposite. My own garden and woods haven't had rain other than a few drops for over 2 months. My rock garden is basically gone; I doubt that very much will come back. I've been carrying pails of water to my dwarf conifers but even so they are turning brown underneath. Burning sun and 30-36C temps are making it all worse, of course.

The forecast for tonight was thunderstorms and I started hoping, but now at 6pm the sky is completely clear again.

I know it is much more serious for the farmers (and all of us depending on them for our food supply) but I am still sad to lose my plants. I only hope our trees make it through.

Cohan, can you huff and puff and blow some clouds my way, please?

[McDonough]

Lis, I share similar conditions here and can sympathize.  Lawns are brown and crispy, about 1-1/2 months without rain, then two weeks ago we had three nights in a week where thunderstorms provided some rain relief, but the last two weeks back to the same grind, hot hot hot and dry.  It was 96 F (36 C) today in central Massachusetts where we were visiting for the day, arrived back home to thunderstorms and some rain, then violent thunderstorms and downpours for a half hour or so, but a lightning bolt hit a transformer on the street and we have no power, so went up to Nashua New Hampshire to a Barnes & Nobles for wireless internet access and to rechange telephones and laptop.

Its too hot to work outside, everything is collapsing and looks so sad in spite my inadequate attempts at watering in the waning light of sunset after I get home from work (town watering ban only allows watering every other day currently), my woodland garden is now receiving full sun after a gargantuan ancient sugar maple tree fell in a storm a month ago and thus plants are crisping quickly,
http://nargs.org/smf/index.php?topic=807.msg18349#msg18349
already I'm so looking forward to autumn and cooler weather.  I haven't yet posted photos after the tree cleanup and removal occurred, much more devastation from the inevitable trampling from workers cutting up such a massive tree lying directly atop my garden, I'm hoping that roots of many plants that are no longer in evidence above ground will persevere and resprout next year. 

[cohan]

Sorry to hear it's still so dry and hot- we hear it on the news all the time too, bad news for gardeners and farmers alike
We've had a number of days that were hot to work outside-  for a few hours!(still cool overnight and in the morning, and as soon as the sun goes behind the woods at the west end of the property ) but  its very humid in here among the trees, so I do sweat working outside in mid-afternoon, but nothing like the temperatures in so many other places- we haven't been higher than mid 20'sC, and next several days of 26-28C will be our hottest in a couple of weeks ( we even had a few days that didn't get above 16C or so)..
Only issue for farmers here is enough dry days now to get hay off, other crops are mostly not ready for harvest yet, so they will be appreciating some warmth to get things ripening..

Lis- the storms all move east from here, but I guess they just don't have the oomph to make it all the way to Ontario! We just had a thunderstorm and a modest rain, its moved off now, probably more severe storms Red Deer and other points east...our power keeps flickering.. My mom keeps thinking we haven't had much rain, because we haven't had any really long rains- we've just had so many of them! At least I didn't need the boards over the mud to work outside today, though grass was wet when I was mowing...tomorrow remains to be seen..

Hope you all get some rain, though its looking like it wont be till fall..

[Hoy]

Cohan, I don't need rain!!

I'm sorry to hear about your losses, Lis, hopefully some roots survive. And your trees of course!

It's strange - here we haven't had anything like proper summer weather and most people would welcome sun and warm temperatures. Although I can't complain, I too would like at least a week with temps above 20C (68F)!

[Howey]

Lis - I truly can sympathize with your garden feelings..  we too have had really horrible drought and, even though I water very early daily, the water just seems to disappear down into the sandy soil and everything appears droopy before long.  However, there are a few survivors and here is one of them - pics aren't that great for which I apologize.  I think it is Campanula pyramidalis and it is growing out of the crack between my front steps and the sidewalk - 4 tall columns of pretty blue stars and more springing up under a magnolia which didn't do a lot this year.  So all is not lost.  Fran

Oh, Oh - forgot to resize the pics so will send them along separately.

Frances Howey
London Ontario Canada
Zone 5b

[Howey]

Here is Campanula pyramidalis  - I think.  Fran

[Howey]

And another shot.  Fran

[cohan]

Trond, I should have said "I hope all of you who need rain, get some!" I don't imagine Lori is asking for any either- we haven't really had rain to the point of being a problem, and we have had some warm days between! I've started working on my third new planting area of the year, and its in the low end of the yard- that was pretty mucky yesterday, heading back out now...
I have started to have your problem, though- slugs! They were always around, but I rarely saw damage, but I just realised they were bothering more plants, including some in the rock garden- some of the damage was hidden for a while, I think, since it blended in with hail damage.. I had to put out some treats for them a couple of days ago, which I hope I have not been misled in thinking is not too toxic to anything but slugs?- some iron based pellets.. in future I'd rather just use DE in sensitive areas, but wanted to make a fast diffference so those plants can recover in the short time before cold weather starts...

Fran- glad you have at least some plants hanging in there!