Spring 2022 is looking to be wet, says Brett Anderson, senior meteorologist, Canada weather specialist with Accuweather.
Grain Farmers of Ontario hosted Brett Anderson Feb. 25 for a webinar on climate trends for the 2022 growing season.
Why it matters: Understanding the forecast helps growers to understand what they are up against and to prepare for the planting and growing season ahead.
Read Also
Senft to step down as CEO of Seeds Canada
Barry Senft, the founding CEO of the five-year-old Seeds Canada organization is stepping down as of January 2026.
Anderson says there will be a second storm track with more Colorado lows coming up into the Great Lakes yielding above normal rainfall for much of southern and eastern Ontario, and into southern Quebec.
Along with a wetter spring than normal, Ontario is looking at greater than normal cloud cover causing cooler than normal days, but also warmer than normal nighttime temperatures.
Temperatures “would probably be closer to normal I suspect throughout much of Ontario for the spring. But I do think we are looking at abnormal temperatures throughout northwestern Ontario, and a good chunk of Manitoba,” says Anderson.
Increased cloud cover, coupled with a wetter than normal spring and increased flood risk could create a delay for the spring 2022 planting season.
The moisture could be positive for southern Ontario, where snow cover and precipitation was lower than usual over the winter.
“If we narrow it down to the eastern corn belt in southern Ontario, it certainly does translate into improved chances of moisture here over the spring season,” says Bruce Burnett, director of markets and weather information with Glacier FarmMedia.
But that isn’t necessarily a bad thing.
“Conditions have been relatively dry this year. I think it’s going to be positive,” says Burnett.
The development of high-yielding crops, such as the record corn crop in 2021, requires good conditions all through the growing season, but relies on a good start with proper soil conditions and enough moisture at planting.
“Certainly one of the most critical periods is getting the crops established into good soil moisture and starting the season and with that forecast, that is what we are expecting this spring,” says Burnett.
It’s important for farmers to pay attention to the forecasts but also how these forecasts impact the market.
“They are probably going to provide us with some opportunities,” says Burnett. “Any concerns about the weather conditions in North America would produce pricing opportunities for wheat, corn and soybeans.”
