By Barb Brouwer and Jim Elliot
OBSERVER STAFF
The warm wonderful weather of late is courtesy of El Niño.
The term El Niño is a large body of warm water that develops off the coast of South America.
Typical El Niño effects include warmer-than-average temperatures over western and central Canada.
“It is certainly abnormal for the end of March,” said Environment Canada meteorologist Lisa Coldwells of last week’s warm weather and her suspicion that the day’s high temperature would break the 18.9 C record set in 1991. Salmon Arm came close, with a high of 18.8 C.
This week looks more promising for setting records.
Thursday’s forecast is for a high of 23 C and Friday’s is 24 degrees. The record for April 7 was 23.9 set in 1977. The record for April 8, also set in ’77, was 25 C.
And warmer-than-normal temperatures are likely to remain for a while yet.
“In an El Niño spring, mean temperatures should be one-to-two degrees above normal,” she says, noting that in meteorological circles, spring is March through the end of May.
“Then El Niño will be decreasing and by August it’s neutral.”
While the warm weather has made local gardeners anxious to get their plants in the ground, James Hanna, owner of Hanna and Hanna Farm Market and Garden Centre, cautions it’s not quite time yet.
Hanna suggests gardeners can get started on planting cold-weather-resistant plants like broccoli, cabbages, onions, potatoes and pansies.
Although the weather during the day has been unseasonably warm, Hanna said frost at night is still a possibility. He recommends fragile, heat-loving plants like petunias, corn, beans, squash and tomatoes be planted later. Gardeners with their own greenhouse, however, can begin planting the more fragile plants earlier.
If the last strong El Niño is any indication, we could see its cooler counterpart, La Niña, setting up and bringing colder temperatures and more snow next winter.
Meanwhile, warm temperatures have also caused drying out and an early start to wildfire season.
Anyone undertaking slash burns on their properties is to be extremely cautious, and property owners within City of Salmon Arm limits must have at least .99 of an acre or larger and must restrict the fire to one metre.
Salmon Arm Fire Chief Brad Shirley says $10 burn permits are available at Hall 3 and are good for three days – until open burning closes on April 15. Campfires will still be allowed but require a $10 annual permit.