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The Big Chill will melt away

Deer Red Deerians,
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Taking advantage of a fine spring day

Deer Red Deerians,

You’ve weathered the weather. Now how about a few hot days?

April temperatures were 3.7 degrees Celsius below average locally, with the mean temperature for the month a scant 0.5C.

This followed a March that also required locals to be more bundled up than tradition suggests they should have been, with temperatures more than four degrees below expected.

So, in an attempt to right her wrongs, Mother Nature is offering forth sunny days and projected highs in the 20s for the weekend. The average temperature for May days is just under 10C; normal highs are 17C.

More detailed projections suggest near-to-above normal temperatures for the area around Red Deer for May, with near normal precipitation over the next three months, said Environment Canada warning preparedness meteorologist Dan Kulak.

Naturally, May doesn’t project to be all sunshine and lollipops. Kulak even used the dreaded S word when looking at what may be in store.

“Alberta does have a history of May snowstorms. It’s the time of year when we’re going to get the wild swings in temperatures. This is the one month of the year where you have to be prepared for all four seasons,” he said.

Area producers will be among those happy to take advantage of some warm dry weather in the coming days, with conditions nearly apt for the start of seeding. Alberta Agriculture crop specialist Mark Cutts, based in Stettler, said the only limitation now is that fields might be a little too wet yet.

“Most (producers) are thinking either on the weekend or the first part of next week that they’ll take a serious look at getting out into those fields, whether that is seeding or doing some field work.

“If guys can get going by next week and we have a nice stretch of weather, they should get everything seeded in pretty good time,” explained Cutts.

If seeding projects to be on time, golfing season for area duffers has proven not to be.

River Bend Golf and Recreation Area was blessed with good conditions for its nordic ski season, but the golf course is only opening today.

“Our average opening date would be April 15, so we’re looking at somewhere in the range of two to three weeks late opening this season,” said River Bend general manager Andrew Gilchrist.

That said, Gilchrist added, good amounts of snow, now melted, have helped a green course make.

mfish@www.reddeeradvocate.com