Is winter moving to November?
2009-11-12
Lise Beyers
UNSEASONABLE rains have plunged the Paarl Valley straight back into winter mode, while no-one is sure whether to pack away their winter woolies or not. Nearly 200mm of rain was recorded in central Paarl for the past week, and even more can be expected over the next few days. This could mean that November, which generally has a rainfall of 50mm or less, will have one of the highest monthly rainfalls figures for the entire year. The highest has thus far been June, when a healthy 288mm was recorded, followed by May with 182mm. The rainfall so far this month is also the highest recorded rainfall for November in many years. Temperatures plummeted to well under 200C, when it is the norm at this time of the year to be in the high 20’s to mid 30’s. Farmers have mixed feelings about the sudden gift of rain, as such prolonged conditions in summer can cause fungus to develop on vines and fruit trees. And grain farmers can have problems not having access to their fields due to the wet conditions, now that the harvest season has started. But, they agree, rain is better than drought. Miraculously the downpours have left no serious flood damage, even though the emergency services were on high alert.
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