While temperatures will gradually trend upward as the Prairies move into spring, the overall cooler-than-average pattern remains firmly in place. Current indications suggest this will persist for at least the next 7 to 10 days.
Prairie forecast: Cooler than average temperatures expected to continue
Why is the sky blue?
A look at some big recent weather stories and more weather basics
Reading Time: 4 minutes The colour of the skies, on the Prairies and elsewhere, tells the story of the paths sunlight takes as it enters Earth’s atmosphere, Daniel Bezte writes.
Prairie forecast: Arctic air keeps spring warming at bay
This week’s forecast: Arctic high pressure is expected to drop southward into the Prairies later this week and into the weekend, keeping temperatures below average.
Prairie spring forecast: What weather models predict for March to May
Models disagree on whether Prairie farmers face warm or cool conditions this spring, with the author favouring one forecast over others
Reading Time: 2 minutes Weather models offer varied outlooks for Prairie spring. This forecast review compares Old Farmer’s Almanac, NOAA, CFS, CanSIPS, and ECMWF predictions for March through May temperatures and precipitation.
Prairie forecast: Warm start then cooler air to move back in
While spring appears to be gaining a foothold across the western Prairies, it continues to struggle across the eastern regions. This forecast period looks milder than the last, but weather models are still not showing a clear or sustained shift toward a more spring-like pattern.
Prairie forecast: Arctic air dominates the forecast
For this forecast period, it appears we will need to wait a little longer for spring to arrive. Weather models continue to show a northwesterly flow across the region, but this time the dividing line between mild and cold air has shifted slightly farther south. As a result, near to below-average temperatures are expected across much of the Prairies.
Prairie forecast: A north-south temperature split as spring struggles to move in
For Alberta, a cold front on Sunday and Monday could bring light snow, with a chance of more snow in the south. Saskatchewan and Manitoba can expect a mix of sun and cloud over the weekend with daytime highs ranging from -5°C to 0°C and light winds.
How Earth evens out the energy input
Weather is what happens when Earth balances its energy from the sun on a global scale
Reading Time: 4 minutes Earth has surpluses of radiation in its equatorial regions, and deficits toward its poles. Our weather is a matter of Earth trying to even out the imbalance, Daniel Bezte writes.
Prairie forecast: All aboard the temperature rollercoaster
A series of lows, and the cold and warm air masses that come with them, will make for a temperature rollercoaster on the Prairies.
Prairie forecast: Cold weather settles in after snowy start
As the weather models were indicating as early as last week, we are now seeing a clear shift in our weather pattern from unseasonably warm and dry to more seasonable cold. This comes with a snowy start and additional chances for snow over the next week or two.