2011 weather: Still Playing Catchup

Wow. 2010 was a cool summer, and yet this year we are still 14% behind 2010, through July 31, for heat. We are fully 40% behind 2009:

2011 Growing Degree Days (base 50), Jan 1 - Jul 31: 743

2010 (a very cool year): 860 , and 2009: 1234

We have a long way to go, to make up the needed heat/sun units. Whether we have a good year or an awful year (I don't see how we could have a great year) will depend on (1) how hot it gets from here on; and (2) how long the summer extends until the Fall rains arrive.

It is not looking good, at all, for the grapes this year. NW Oregon is definitely in a cooling cycle. Some climatologists think that the Northwest is heading into a TWENTY YEAR cooling cycle. While Dallas and Oklahoma City see their 36th straight 100 degree day!

Wow.