Glacier FarmMedia | MarketsFarm — The balance of October is likely to remain warmer than normal across the Canadian Prairies, but the weather could turn colder than normal in November, Weatherlogics chief scientist Scott Kehler explained.
He pointed to a La Nina event that’s developing over the Pacific Ocean, noting with the phenomenon at this stage it’s not uncommon for the Prairies to have a nice October, one that will likely see dry stretches.
“But the thing is, this month doesn’t average a huge amount of rainfall,” Kehler stated, adding that a single system could provide a month’s worth of rain.
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As the harvest in southern Alberta presses on, a broker said that is one of the factors pulling feed prices lower in the region. Darcy Haley, vice-president of Ag Value Brokers in Lethbridge, added that lower cattle numbers in feedlots, plentiful amounts of grass for cattle to graze and a lacklustre export market also weighed on feed prices.
As well, the forecaster said any precipitation during October will be dependent on the particular location, with some areas getting more or less rain than others.
“As we move into wintertime, with La Nina that generally tends to favour a colder winter on the Prairies. Colder winters tend to be snowier ones,” he continued. “The only caveat is this La Nina event is not looking as strong as initially thought.”
In such a case, Kehler said the usual weather patterns involved with a La Nina become less certain.
“For most locations, it will seem like a colder, snowier winter because of how warm it was last winter,” he added.
