As I have pointed out before, at the end of February, counter-intuitively, all of Tapanappa’s terroirs had accumulated marginally more heat than average for the October to February growing season so far. Days have been cooler than average but nights have been warmer than the days have been cooler because of persistent cloud cover.
March is set to change all of that. Foggy Hill and The Tiers have been in the centre of the clouds for the past two days and Whalebone is only just below.
The heat summation for Foggy Hill on the Fleurieu Peninsula to the 21st of March is a miserly 50.6°C days versus the long term average of 139°C days.
To the 21st of March, Whalebone has accumulated 128°C days versus the long term average of 158°C days at nearby Coonawarra. Coonawarra has accumulated 135°C days to the 21st of March.
The Tiers weather station is still down but is hopefully recording data to be recovered later.
Adjacent Mount Lofty has accumulated only 111°C days to the 21st of March.
We desperately need the sunshine and breeze on the front of the big approaching high in the Bight due on Friday the 25th. 5 days of sunshine, nets off, then pick Foggy Hill on Friday the 1st of April, seriously! Pickers please turn up, this isn’t a joke.
BJC.
