Q: My husband and I are moving our family to a new community shortly after Christmas. We are not fussy about moving. All of us are enjoying it here and we have heard that the place we are moving to is not as friendly as this community. But our jobs depend on it and putting […] Read more
Farm Living
Friends vital when moving to new community
Researchers use tree rings to trace weather patterns
Tree rings continue to serve up scientific information about past weather and help scientists determine what might lie ahead. Dave Sauchyn leads the tree ring research at the University of Regina’s Prairie Adaptation Research Collaborative. Examining the cores of trees have allowed researchers to establish short and long weather cycles on the Prairies. “Our tree […] Read more
Why we should all love snow
The technology of climatology has made great advancements, but tools for measuring snow remain crude. “We can put a man on the moon and we have super computers and satellites, but the good old-fashioned way that we’ve been measuring snow for eons of time is the same way, which is a bit sad,” said meteorologist […] Read more
Seasonal signs
Long before meteorologists had sophisticated technology and 24/7 global weather networks, people made forecasts based on their observations of the sky, animals and nature
People once relied on lore to forecast the weather and connect changes in nature with rhythms or patterns of weather. Proverbs were created and passed down through the generations as if they were family heirlooms. Bill Zak has been a farmer, hunter and trapper for more than 50 years. A life of living off the […] Read moreRivers in the sky
Rivers are not confined to the earth. There are also rivers in the sky, called atmospheric rivers, which carry water just as their terrestrial counterparts do. “(Atmospheric rivers are) very long, narrow regions in the atmosphere where there’s a lot of water, so large amounts of water vapour, and that water vapour is being moved […] Read more
Caution: wild weather ahead
The characteristics of prairie rainfall have changed. Researchers agree that one-day rains have given way to multiple-day events, and storms are larger. However, total precipitation seems to have stayed the same. John Pomeroy, Canada research chair in water resources and climate change at the University of Saskatchewan’s Centre for Hydrology, said there are no real […] Read more
A good forecaster always has his head in the clouds
It usually comes from the west in this part of the world, and analyzing clouds and what they indicate about weather conditions is a key part of his job in keeping passengers and pilots safe. As he looks out over runways 05 and 23, Curran can see bald prairie in the foreground and part of […] Read more
Twisters common on the Prairies
A prairie summer wouldn’t be complete without thunder, lightning, rain and wind. But sometimes you get more than you bargained for. Canada has the second most tornadoes in the world, behind the United States, and the Prairies get most of them. About 43 are recorded in this region each year, typically June to August, compared […] Read more
Every good soup starts with a flavourful stock
This holiday season, turn the Christmas turkey carcass into a tasty golden stock for making soups, sauces and stews. There are a myriad of ways to make stock but a long simmer produces a more flavourful and clearer stock. Start the roasted bones in cold water. As fat rises to the surface, skim it off […] Read more
It looks and smells a lot like Christmas
BLACKFALDS, Alta. — The extended fall was welcome, but winter weather propels people into the Christmas mode, said Faye Naylor of the Central Alberta Greenhouses Ltd. The sales consultant at the Blackfalds, Alta., facility called it a double-edged sword. “We all want winter to stay away but the cold and snow gets people thinking about […] Read more
