Regina reports 5th hottest July on record with impact on producers, gardeners
Last month was the fifth hottest July on record for the Queen City, according to data from Environment Canada.
Regina’s average temperature in July was 21.8 degrees Celsius – nearly three degrees warmer than the National Weather Agency’s “climate normal” based on a 30 year total.
While heat was in abundance in the province, rain was not, and Environment and Climate Change Canada recorded barely half the normal amount of rainfall for July. They state 31.6 millimetres of rain fell last month, compared to the climate normal 66.9 millimetres.
This ranks it as the 38th driest July since records began in Regina. The driest was July of 1887 with 1.5 millimetres.
“There’s certainly a dry trend, this probably being the driest year we’ve had in the last like I’ve said about five years,” said Matthew Struthers, crop extension specialist with the Ministry of Agriculture.
Struthers said they have seem many crops across the province ripening more rapidly because of the heat and dryness.
“July and the end of June there where it got really, really hot just kind of set the tone for the rest of the season and, unfortunately, most of the crops in the province look quite poor,” Struthers said.
He said the temperatures are much too hot for crops, especially with no rainfall.
“Hopefully we don’t have too many more of these Julys,” said Struthers.
Within the city, those with green thumbs are also battling Mother Nature.
Jocelyn Hutchinson has been working diligently to keep her plot at the Grow Regina Community Garden bountiful.
“As everyone knows we’ve had no rain, so it’s just water, water, water,” said Hutchinson, who has been gardening for the past 30 years.
Prepping in advance, Hutchinson hauled manure in to her plot earlier in the season, but says tending to the garden is still much more demanding than in a typical year.
To lighten some of the load, she and her daughter have been tag teaming their plots.
“It’s a lot more time consuming this year. We’ve always been able to count on rains to sort spell us off a bit and things like that, but there hasn’t been anything,” said Hutchinson.
She is optimistic some August rains will fall to send gardeners some reprieve, but Struthers is hoping it holds off until after harvest.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.