Reading Time: 3 minutes Let’s look at what is probably the most feared and costly summer severe weather event: hail. How expensive can hail be? To put it into perspective, on June 13, 2020, a severe hailstorm hit Calgary, causing an estimated $1.2 billion in insurance damage, which ranks as one of the top five most expensive natural disasters […] Read more
The severe weather event feared by farmers and new-car owners alike
Alberta’s higher elevation makes it the hail capital of Canada
Take your pick — there’s a forecast for everyone
Here are six forecasts for July and August, and they are all over the (weather) map
Reading Time: 3 minutes June seemed to go by in a flash. We are now halfway through 2022, and depending on where you live, it has been a very interesting six months. We will look back and see how June weather played out across the Prairies, and then look ahead to see what forecasters are calling for during July […] Read more
Heavy rain — where does all that water come from?
When a thunderstorm rolls in on a warm summer day, there’s an awful lot of water over your head
Reading Time: 3 minutes In the last issue we went into some detail on how thunderstorms develop, and how they can go from your average summer day thunderstorm to a severe thunderstorm. Thunderstorms can bring a wide variety of severe weather with them: heavy rains, hail, high winds, lightning, and, on some occasions, tornadoes. After an extended period of […] Read more
Even in summer it’s cold up there — and that’s good
Reading Time: 4 minutes Last issue, we looked at how precipitation forms in warm clouds. But in reality, most of our summertime precipitation comes from thunderstorms, which primarily consist of cold clouds, so we’ll take a look at what cold clouds are and how precipitation forms in them. In general, a cold cloud is one that has at least […] Read more
An early spring provided a longer- than-average frost-free season
Many parts of Alberta saw earlier-than-usual fall frosts but had a pretty decent frost-free period
Reading Time: 3 minutes Every year around this time the weather discussion begins to centre around the first fall frost. Some years, like when we see an early-fall frost, this topic is at the forefront of conversations. This year, if you live in Alberta or Saskatchewan then there is a good chance that you’ve already seen your first fall frost […] Read more
Why Alberta gets more than its fair share of hail
The number or size of thunderstorms is less important than how close the freezing layer is to the ground
Reading Time: 4 minutes It’s time to continue our series of articles on different types of severe summer weather. I like to re-examine these topics every year or two due to the importance of understanding the different types of severe weather, and also because most people find this aspect of weather so fascinating. In this issue we are going to […] Read more
Mother Nature’s recipe for making very severe thunderstorms
There are some key ingredients that (usually) are needed to create a truly wicked summer storm
Reading Time: 3 minutes As the heat continues to build across the Prairies, the chances for thunderstorms have also increased. We began our look at thunderstorm fundamentals that lead to garden-variety thunderstorms. But while these types of thunderstorms are fun to watch, we all know how quickly they can turn into severe thunderstorms. A couple of weeks ago we […] Read more
In summer, Mother Nature starts cooking up thunderstorms
Thunderstorms are one of the most fascinating weather events and it helps to know how they’re made
Reading Time: 4 minutes As spring begins to transition into summer, I like to revisit what I find to be one of the most interesting weather topics — thunderstorms. As temperatures begin to climb and moisture (hopefully) begins to flow northwards, the ingredients come together to develop thunderstorms. So far this year we haven’t seen much thunderstorm activity, but as […] Read more
If you like cold, the first half of April delivered in spades
Most forecasts predicted it would be chilly, but they’re split on what May and June have in store for us
Reading Time: 3 minutes After dealing with a cold and snowy March, most of us across the Prairies were hoping for a little better weather in April. Just how good or bad you saw April’s weather depends on what you wanted. For example, the cross-country skiers were more than happy in my region as the cold start to the month […] Read more
The numbers are in and, baby, it was cold this winter
A cold snap that started in February and continued through March made for a long and chilly winter
Reading Time: 3 minutes Yet another month has come and gone, and for most of us across the Prairies, March 2018 was not one we really care to remember. After a warm start to 2018 that saw January temperatures averaging from 1 C to 3 C above the long-term average across all three Prairie provinces, cold weather moved in […] Read more
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
