Summer 2023 weather was a bit of a mixed bag across the Prairies. It started off hot, then went cool over eastern regions before turning back to average by the end. To the west, warm summer temperatures started early and just kept going. Let’s look at August weather in the west. Alberta saw another month […] Read more
Tag Archives prairie weather
A hot end to an overall cold spring
Meteorological seasons are each three months long. Summer is June to August, fall is September to November, winter is December to February, and spring is March to May. Astronomically, summer starts on the summer solstice, which falls on June 21. Let’s look at last month and examine how spring turned out across the Canadian Prairies, […] Read more
Dry prairie summer expected
RED DEER — It could by a hot, dry summer for the Canadian Prairies if long-range forecasts prevail. The current La Nina is dying and an El Nino is forming, said climatologist Art Douglas, professor emeritus at Creighton University in Nebraska. “Going forward in the spring and summer I would look at El Nino coming […] Read more
Cold with a chance of damp later: forecasters
An end to very dry or very wet conditions won’t necessarily put Canadian farmers into the pink this spring, unless they get it from wind-chill. Prairie producers can look for relatively normal precipitation this spring and early summer, while the situation will remain damp in Eastern Canada, with slow drying. Long-time agricultural weather forecasters Jim […] Read more
Cold winter forecast, plentiful snow may offer needed moisture
Farmers can expect a “wild ride” this winter, according to The Weather Network’s 2017 winter forecast. “It is potentially a very harsh winter ahead with widespread below seasonal temperatures and lots of shots of Arctic air,” said meteorologist Michael Carter. The Prairies will experience the worst winter weather in the country with below normal temperatures […] Read more
Windy spring blows in trouble
Unusually strong and persistent winds are wreaking havoc on farms across the Prairies this growing season. Last week a line of strong thunderstorms that formed in the northern foothills of Alberta swept across the southern part of the province and into Saskatchewan, leaving behind a trail of demolition. Wind gusts were recorded as high as […] Read more
Summer of hailstorms across Manitoba
Manitoba was the unfortunate prairie winner in the hail lottery during this crop year, recording losses of $46 million. That was a huge jump from last year, when $16 million in claims were paid out in that province. Alberta and Saskatchewan losses due to hail were down this year compared to the five-year average, according […] Read more
Winter wheat fares well under scorching sun
Rain and cooler temperatures broke a three-week prairie heat wave July 15, but many growers still don’t know how badly their crops were damaged. However, most observers believe winter wheat is one crop that withstood the searing heat. Jake Davidson, executive director of Winter Cereals Canada, said most winter wheat fields were thriving before the […] Read more
Heat wave boosts Alberta irrigated crops
Heat wave boosts Alberta irrigated crops
Corn loves heat. Sugar beets like heat. And potatoes are OK with it too, so long as the sprinklers keep running. That means a recent spate of hot weather in southern Alberta has been a boon for irrigated row crops, which are in good condition and in better shape than this time last year. “If […] Read more
