Looking at May’s temperatures, all of the stations that I look at reported above average temperatures in May. In fact, five of the eight stations reported mean monthly temperatures that were greater than 1.5 C above the long-term average, with half reporting temperatures greater than 2 C above the long-term average. | Photo: File

Forecasts foresee hot and dry summer for Canadian Prairies

A scorching and arid spring is set to tick over towards more of the same

As we wrap up the last month of meteorological spring and start the first month of summer, it is time for our monthly look at how the weather behaved last month, compare it to what the weather models predicted, and then look ahead to see if there are any changes to the long-range forecast for the rest of the summer.

A grasshopper perches on a ripe head of wheat.

Analysts struggle with El Niño precipitation predictions

Drought is unlikely but don’t expect a wet summer as world flips rapidly from a La Niña directly into an El Niño event

While it is difficult to predict El Niño’s influence on summer weather for most of North America, there is a strong correlation with temperature on the Canadian Prairies. It typically results in a hotter-than-normal summer, especially for the western half of the region, said John Baranick, DTN’s agricultural meteorologist. When it comes to precipitation, it […] Read more