Weather Conditions

California Water Conditions

Dan Winiecke · Feb 4, 2016

California’s water condition is much better this year than last year, but the drought has not been eliminated completely. The reservoir and snow pack levels statewide have improved over last season according to the California Department of Water Resources. The above charts are from their website and show an improved condition over what they looked […]

Mild Winter in the Pacific Northwest

Tyler Edwards · Mar 10, 2015

We’ve been having a very mild weather here in the Pacific Northwest. The table below represents degree-day numbers for the last 3 years using 41 degrees as the base low temperature. These numbers are used to calculate the number of heat units per day, and compare them to years past. This is very useful in […]

First Bloom

Dan Winiecke · Feb 4, 2015

The first stone fruit varieties to bloom in the greater Fresno area are currently out. The bloom this year is mostly uniform block by block, but some blocks are out sooner or later by a few days than they were last year. Low chill hours don’t seem to have had an impact on the uniformity […]

Dry and Warm Weather in California

Dan Winiecke · Jan 27, 2015

California is experiencing another very dry year. Reservoir levels, as reported by the California Department of Water Resources, are currently less than 50% capacity. The wet weather in December yielded to a warm and dry pattern for most of January. Chill hours needed for deciduous tree fruit production in the San Joaquin Valley are the […]

California Chill Hours

Dan Winiecke · Jan 12, 2015

The San Joaquin Valley in California has been experiencing a warm winter so far this year. Chilling hours necessary for tree fruit production are the lowest they have been in more than ten years. Poor chilling during the fall and winter months tends to lead to poor fruit set and quality in the spring and […]