David Phillips wanted to be a teacher or geographer but instead became as big a superstar as any weatherman could hope to become. “We’re not supposed to be famous. We’re supposed to be backroom people,” Phillips said as he tried to make sense of his path to nationwide recognition. “I just became, in a way, […] Read more
News
El Nino staying for time being
CHICAGO, Ill. — Bryce Anderson didn’t bother packing a coat for this year’s trip to the Windy City to deliver his annual weather outlook. It has been an unusually mild winter thanks to a lingering El Nino, which will continue to exert its influence right through spring. Some forecasters believe El Nino will be followed […] Read more
‘Snow eater’ helps define southern Alberta agriculture
Semi-trailers are blown onto their sides, empty grain bins are crushed like pop cans and big round straw bales roll away to parts unknown when the chinook blows strong in southern Alberta. In winter, snow disappears overnight and temperatures can rise 20 degrees in a day. In summer, the wind dries everything in its path […] Read more
Chasing storms in tornado alley
In a thunderstorm:
Storm chasers live for extreme weather. Whether it’s staying ahead of a tornado or pursuing a thunderstorm, passion drives them to their next weather event, again and again. An awesome respect for the grandeur of nature is a trait shared by storm chasers. “They love watching the sky, love the sound of thunder, the feel […] Read more
Volunteer crop reporters keep their ears to the ground
ODESSA, Sask. — When a plow wind whirled through Bette Reiss’s mixed farm at Odessa, the intrepid crop reporter stayed above ground to keep watch. “Most people head to the basement. We are out on the porch,” said Reiss, a volunteer crop reporter who has been relaying details of crops and weather in her rural […] Read more
Neither rain, nor sleet nor hail will deter them
Volunteer weather watchers help to collect and report weather information to assist federal reporting network
Every morning at 7 a.m. Ernest Watts steps out of his Manitoba home, walks over to a weather station that measures any rain, snow or lack of it, and reports his findings on a website. He is one of hundreds of weather watchers across the country who record the weather for CoCoRaHS, a non-profit network […] Read moreBad Santa pulls Christmas eve heist, escapes
WINNIPEG, Manitoba, Dec 30 (Reuters) – A man dressed as Santa Claus robbed an Alberta jewelry store at gunpoint on Christmas Eve, before dashing away in a Hummer, police said on Wednesday. The Royal Canadian Mounted Police said the red-and-white-garbed robber entered a jewelry store in Stettler, Alberta, in late afternoon last Thursday. He demanded […] Read more
Profit-taking undercuts CME live cattle futures
CHICAGO, Dec 29 (Reuters) – Chicago Mercantile Exchange live cattle futures sagged for a second straight session on Tuesday, after participants took profits in the year’s final week of trading, traders said. Spot December and February each closed 0.650 cent per lb lower, at 130.200 and 135.500 cents respectively. Traders adjusted positions while awaiting the […] Read more
Bees used to defeat crop pests
Mainstream television networks and news magazines don’t normally report on innovations in pest management. However, MacLean’s, Global News and other media outlets have reported on a Canadian company with a unique method for defeating crop pests. BVT, a Mississauga firm specializing in bee vectoring technology, has developed a system that uses bumblebees to deliver microbial […] Read more
Grain flows smoothly; export volumes up sharply
The amount of grain that has moved from prairie farms to export terminals so far this year is well-above average, according to figures from Canada’s federal Grain Monitoring Program. The data show total grain car unloads at port of 14.2 million tonnes so far in the 2015-16 shipping season, including nearly 3.9 million tonnes at […] Read more
