Now that 2022 is coming to an end, the moment of looking back has begun. The results are gathered, discussed and analyzed in order to work even more optimally next year. A major factor in determining the yields are the growing conditions. And in that respect it was a special growing season. Together with meteorologist Niek van Andel, co-founder of the weather monitoring network AgroExact, we look back.
"How we will remember the weather in 2022 will differ considerably from place to place in the Netherlands. However, there are a number of circumstances that everyone will recognize. The heavy rain and wind from the storms in February made an impact all over the country. most of course by the sea, where we received wind gusts of 2 kilometers per hour at a height of 120 meters." Then? Sun, sun and more sun. March was record sunny, October finished in 5th place since 1901 and the sun also shone more often than usual for the rest of the months. The annual record from 2018 was already broken in De Bilt in October. Not surprising, since the summer was the second sunniest ever. Combine this with the average high temperatures and on paper this forms the basis for good growing conditions. "But yes, that precipitation…"
"Average figures say less and less for precipitation. As an example: June was a national average of 88 millimeters, which was just under 40% wetter than the climate average of 64 millimeters. In the Achterhoek, in Twente and in Zeeland, just half the normal amount fell. the center of the country fell twice the normal monthly amount, mainly due to the heavy rain on June 5. We then received almost 100 millimeters of rain at Geldermalsen with a weather station. That way, every grower has his own story."
In the spring these differences were still relatively moderate. The dry weeks in March and May were followed relatively quickly by unsettled weeks in early April and the second half of May. "This year's drought differs from that of 2018, 2019 and 2020, which was particularly devastating in the spring. Now July and August were the dry months. Early crops have already had the greatest growth, for other crops it is crucial months in which a shortage of precipitation is disastrous." In addition, the precipitation that fell then was in the form of fierce, local showers. "You can see from measurements with soil moisture sensors at our users that in such a case sometimes half of the precipitation is actually absorbed into the soil and becomes available for the crop. The rest is useless for cultivation."
The dry months were followed by a too wet September. "In the beginning of the month, showers from the southwest followed with local strong gusts of wind, hail and a lot of rain in a short time. At Tholen, 40 millimeters were measured in half an hour, more than the months of July and August combined." A few days later it hit Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, with successive showers that left behind 120 millimeters in a day.
"This capriciousness fits in with the trend of recent years. Warm, dry and sunny periods alternate with precipitation in the form of showers that pass one place and cause flooding in another. With AgroExact we measure the weather conditions nationwide every 10 minutes and in particular precipitation. And for a one-off connection fee, we give every new user an extra rain gauge on loan, so that we collectively map more and more. We hope that this will help us understand and expect showers better and better. Because that's what all long-term climate expectations are like to indicate: we will just have to get used to local showers."
Would you like to know more about the backgrounds of weather and climate? Would you like to zoom in on the weather in your region last year? Niek van Andel is available this winter for lectures on topics of your choice. For more information and registration, click here.
Interested in the AgroExact solution? More information can be found here.