Climate Results 2014

So another growing season has come and gone and for the first time we have managed to go out and collect all our data before snow! 

This year we decided to replace all the batteries in the units as well. The batteries have a 5 year life span, but after 4 years we decided it we better to replace them then now, then worry that they would not last the year. 

Growing Degree Days (GDD) is a measure of heat accumulation used to predict plant development rates such as the date that a crop will reach maturity. GDD is calculated by taking the average of the daily maximum and minimum temperatures minus a base temperature, (in our case 10 °C).  The yearly GDD is cumulative throughout the growing season (April 1 to October 31).

Growing Degree Days (GDD)

Region	2012	2013	2014
Nakusp	935	1074	1033
Arrow Park	933	1059	997
Burton	1029	1139	1077
Needles/Fauquier	1058	1144	1060

We expected that our 2014 was a warmer year, but in looking at the data, our GDD was slightly less than 2013.  A comparison with Summerland: 2012 was 1333 GDD; 2013 was 1415 GDD and 2104 is 1389 GDD. 

Looking at our frost free days, we do see quite difference this year. In many locations, there had not been a fall frost occurrence up to the point of download (early November). For our purposes we used “slight” frost as our parameter, using 0°C for our last spring frost and -2°C for our first fall frost.  

Frost Free Days (FFD)

Region	2012	2013	2014
Nakusp	148	170	191
Arrow Park	134	165	175
Burton	160	175	177
Needles/Fauquier	123	162	171

I will post some data on our weather station in an upcoming blog.  As always, comments are welcome and appreciated,