Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — June is expected to see a continuation of the hot and dry weather most of the Canadian Prairies has experienced in May, according to Scott Kehler, chief scientist for Weatherlogics. “It looks like late spring/early summer is pretty hot across almost all of Western Canada. The Prairies are all above normal [temperature-wise],” Kehler […] Read more
A hot, dry Prairie June ahead
El Nino pattern could arrive
Prairie Forecast Update: A few small tweaks
Forecast issued May 28, covering the period from May 29 to 31
Reading Time: < 1 minute The weather regime across southern and central Canada is currently being dominated by a large sprawling surface high over eastern regions with a slowly digging trough of low pressure over the West Coast. The flows around these two features have been producing warm summer-like conditions across the eastern Prairies with slightly cooler conditions as you […] Read more
Pulse weekly outlook: Better growing conditions despite dryness, smoke
Continued smoky skies could slow crop development
Reading Time: 2 minutes MarketsFarm — While dry conditions persist across the Prairies, the current situation for pulses is not as bad as during the two previous springs, according to Pulse Canada’s director of market access and trade policy. Mac Ross said dryness is largely evident across Western Canada and many crops are still below their five-year averages for […] Read more
NEW FEATURE: Prairie Forecast: Summerlike conditions moving in
Forecast issued May 24, 2023, covering May 24-31, 2023
Reading Time: 2 minutes As we head into the final week of May, it is looking to be very summerlike across much of the Prairies. Currently there is a strong area of cool high pressure centred over the Great Lakes. This area of high pressure is what brought cool and windy conditions to the eastern Prairies on Wednesday. As […] Read more
Prairie Forecast Update: A few small tweaks
Update issued May 21, 2023, covering May 21-24, 2023
Reading Time: 2 minutes The weather models are continuing to do a good job with the short- to medium-range forecasts, but there have been a couple of small changes that have been slowly working into the forecast. Weak troughing off the West Coast is still forecasted to kick off the development of a leeside low in Alberta. This low […] Read more
More than half of world’s large lakes drying up, study finds
Gains in Great Lakes, Lake Winnipeg come from runoff, rainfall
Reading Time: 2 minutes London | Reuters — More than half of the world’s large lakes and reservoirs have shrunk since the early 1990s, chiefly because of climate change, intensifying concerns about water for agriculture, hydropower and human consumption, a study published on Thursday found. A team of international researchers reported that some of the world’s most important freshwater […] Read more
No respite expected for wildfire-hit Alberta
Forecasts call for fire conditions to worsen
Reading Time: 3 minutes Ottawa | Reuters — Abnormally hot and dry weather is set to return to Alberta on Thursday after a couple of cooler days helped calm wildfires that have forced thousands of evacuations in the province. Record-high temperatures and tinder-dry vegetation have led to an intense, early start to wildfire season in Western Canada this year. […] Read more
Prairie Forecast: Above-average temperatures to continue
Covering the period from May 17 to 24, 2023
Reading Time: 2 minutes The upper ridge that has been in place over much of B.C. and Alberta over the last few weeks looks to remain in place, at least for a few more days. There are some indications of a shift in the overall weather pattern towards a warm and wetter setup. As predicted, an area of low […] Read more
Air quality deteriorates as wildfires rage in Western Canada
Evacuations continue in Alberta, B.C., Saskatchewan
Reading Time: 2 minutes Reuters — Calgary received a special weather alert on Tuesday, warning residents of poor air quality and reduced visibility as tinder-dry weather and shifting winds elevated the risk of spreading wildfires in Alberta’s north and west. As of Tuesday evening 89 wildfires are active in Alberta, with 25 out of control, according to the provincial […] Read more
Best to be scouting for insect pests
'Definitely' watch canola for flea beetles
Reading Time: < 1 minute MarketsFarm — Although it is still relatively early in the crop year, Manitoba entomologist John Gavloski strongly advises farmers to carefully watch their fields for any signs of insect pests. Gavloski couldn’t say for sure if insect damage was going to be bad this year but based on what’s transpired over the last three years, […] Read more
A message from April Stewart, Country Guide's Associate Editor
