EXCEPTIONAL STUDENT SPORTS DAY BRINGS OUT THE BEST IN EVERYONE
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A chance for students of all abilities to embrace their joy { Page A25 }
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THURSDAY, JUNE 4, 2015
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Our water B.C.’s best { Page A11 }
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‘OPEN’ - June 6 RAIN or SHINE BIGGER SLIDES BIGGER FUN...
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Farmers all ears when it comes to weather trends Hot, dry spring has those in the grow both delighted and fearful as some crops will fare better than others BY PAUL J. HENDERSON phenderson@chilliwacktimes.com
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s clouds rolled in Monday evening, Chilliwack’s farmers waited, waited, waited . . . for water. After a parched month of May, rain finally fell on the agricultural land in the Fraser Valley. But was it enough? Can the hotter-than-normal and dryer-than-normal conditions seen in recent weeks, months and years be overcome? “We need rain or it’s going to be do or die,” says chicken farmer and City of Chilliwack city councillor Chris Kloot. “If June is as dry as May there are going to be some pretty big issues. All of western North America is dry. In 2012, we had
The average maximum temsomething like 80 days without perature last month was 22.3 C, rain, 2013 was one of the driest on four degrees above the average record. Last year I think July was for May of 18.4 C. the driest on record. Three temperature “There is a bit of a pattern here.” “We need rain records were broken in May, high That much is or it’s going to minimums of 13.9 C clear. and 14 C on May 16 May 2015 was be do or die.”” and May 22, respecthe driest on record tively, and a high in some areas of - Chris Kloot average of 21.35 C British Columbia. on May 29, beating In Chilliwack it was the 1972 record of 20.6 C. the driest May in 20 years, accordBut it’s the long-term trend that ing to Roger Pannett, volunteer weather observer for Environment worries some farmers, even if it’s encouraging for tourism and Canada. those who love the sun. Just 39.4 millimetres (mm) of “The abnormally mild and rain fell in May, 60 per cent below warm record-breaking conditions the 30-year-average and, if it of the past four months continued weren’t for the 24.4 mm downfall on one day (May 5), it would have { See WEATHER, page A17 } been much, much drier.
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