Expect good year for crops, says weather expert

OTTAWA — The near and record-breaking snowfalls across Ontario this winter is a boon for farmers, weather experts say.

"There has been adequate moisture this year. That was the buzz all winter with snow, snow and more snow," says David Phillips, an Environment Canada climatologist. "I think the farming community sees this as white gold."

The moisture, trapped in the ground during the winter, could help farmers in the upcoming growing season. "The ground has begun to warm up with the temperatures being at 24 and 25 consistently with the sunshine sucking up the moisture. This is a good thing," said Phillips.

Eastern Ontario can expect a warmer than average summer this year with a near normal precipitation average, Phillips predicts.

Phillips believes the predicted weather conditions will allow farmers to plant earlier in the growing season, minimizing damage to crops from droughts or even frostbite in later months.

But he says the weather forecast is not fact, only an educated guess. "We are more accurate than the Farmer’s Almanac, but it’s hard to predict long term," said Phillips.

Environment Canada calculates possible weather patterns by studying varying pressure changes, water temperatures, snow and ice melts. Each study follows a three-month quarterly forecast. Thie current forecats is for May, June and July.