Unusually cool, wet May tests patience

<p>One of the coolest, wettest Mays on record has come and nearly gone, negating the temperate effects of the Earth's tilted axis and delaying the colorful explosion that follows the vernal equinox.</p><p>In short, cheating us out of the pleasures of early spring.</p><p>Farmers cannot plant, silage crops are not being cut, picnics are being rained out and May brides hoping for a sunny wedding day are settling for staying dry under rented tents.</p><p>How weird has it been? </p><p>Ten of the first 26 days of May have been marked by rain, and more is predicted. The average for the past 79 years has been just four days of moisture in the entire month.</p><p>So far, 1.87 inches of rain have fallen in Santa Rosa this month. That's double the historical average for May (0.88 inches).</p><p>The average daytime high temperature has been 70.2 degrees, compared to the 73.9 average of the past eight decades. The average low this May has been 44.6, well below the historical figure of 47.8 degrees. </p><p>At Imwalle Gardens in Santa Rosa, the rain and cool weather have “slowed things down” by about three weeks, Joe Imwalle said. Squash, cucumbers and corn have been planted but their development has been delayed because of the cool weather.</p><p>“We're getting vegetables already from Brentwood, they are two months ahead of us,” Imwalle said. “They're already picking squash. We won't have any at least for another month.”</p><p>But it's not all bad news, he said. Local residents who plant home gardens early have benefited from weeks of rainfall, which has more nutrients than what comes out of the hose.</p><p>Steve Anderson, a forecaster for the National Weather Service in Monterey, said there was an 80 percent chance of rain today and a 40 percent chance Friday morning. He said the area should be “drying out” by Friday afternoon.</p><p>Imwalle called it as “the wettest May in history since I've been running Imwalle Gardens in the last 42 years.”</p><p>Technically, there have been several wetter Mays.</p><p>Precipitation records show 5.46 inches in May 1990. Just five years ago, it rained 5.55 inches in May, and even last year 3.1 inches fell in May, though it was all in the first six days of the month.</p><p>For brides, the rain has exacerbated wedding nerves. </p><p>“This past weekend we had several tents added on to wedding orders and party orders at the last minute,” said Kristi Davidson, special events consultant for Party, Tents & Events of Santa Rosa.</p><p>“They were calling two or three days before their event, and we managed to get every single one of them tented.”</p><p>Tracey Pugh, manager of Santa Rosa's Downtown Market, said a few of the farmers pulled out of season opener Wednesday night.</p><p>“They said the weather has just been too cold and they haven't had enough warm weather or sun,” Pugh said. “Usually, the farmers come out rain or shine, they're used to it. But this time the produce isn't ready.”</p><p>So, where's the silver lining?</p><p>Doug Beretta, a west county organic dairy farmer and a past president of the Sonoma County Farm Bureau, said he'll save money this year on pasture irrigation. Still, he's had to delay cutting his silage crop.</p><p>“If you cut it and lay it down and it gets rained on, it just makes a big mess,” he said.</p><p>In the larger scheme of things, said Joe Imwalle, the ground needs the water.</p><p>“It's a blessing in some ways, but it does affect the pricing of some things,” he said.</p><p><i>You can reach staff Writer Martin Espinoza at 521-5213 or martin.espinoza@pressdemocrat.com.</i></p>