Sea surface temperature anomalies over the Pacific for the week centred on May 31. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

U.S. forecaster sees El Nino unlikely through fall

Reuters — A U.S. government weather forecaster on Thursday said there are no active El Nino or La Nina patterns and that neutral conditions are likely in the Northern Hemisphere during fall 2017. However, chances for El Nino remain elevated, between 35 and 50 per cent, relative to the long-term average into the fall, the […] Read more






Soil moisture (top five cm of soil) on Prairies for November 2016, measured as difference from average. (AAFC Drought Watch map)

Winter wonderland piles on saturated eastern Prairies

CNS Canada — While a wave of snow slowly pummels parts of Saskatchewan and much of Manitoba, one soil moisture expert says water is still trickling through the soil into natural water channels. According to Trevor Hadwen, agroclimate specialist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada’s Drought Watch program in Regina, this is a good thing, as […] Read more

This map shows the total amount of precipitation, compared to average, that has fallen across the Prairies during the 60-day period ending Nov. 7. This gives us a good idea of moisture levels heading into freeze-up. The map shows a large portion of the Prairies has seen above-average rainfall (blue regions) with the wettest areas found in Saskatchewan and western Manitoba. The only below-average areas are found in south-central Alberta and extreme far northwestern Alberta.


Will it be a typical La Niña winter on the Prairies this year?

La Niña usually brings more snow and colder temperatures, 
but some forecasts are painting a different picture for this year


Reading Time: 3 minutes After nearly 11 months of global record-setting temperatures, North America has had its turn seeing the warmest weather on the planet — at least when compared to average. I’ll have to admit: It really bugs me when people use the infamous line, “Where is global warming now?” every time temperatures in their region are colder […] Read more


U.S. forecaster sees La Nina likely in coming months

New York | Reuters — A U.S. government forecaster on Thursday said the chance has increased for weather phenomenon La Nina developing in the coming months in the Northern Hemisphere fall and persist into winter 2016-17. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the National Weather Service, in a monthly forecast pegged the chance […] Read more

Pacific Ocean surface temperature anomalies, in degrees Celsius, for the seven-day period centred on Aug. 31, 2016. (CPC.ncep.noaa.gov)

U.S. agency reduces outlook for La Nina in 2016-17

New York | Reuters — A U.S. government weather forecaster reduced its outlook on Thursday for La Nina conditions to develop during the Northern Hemisphere fall and winter of 2016-17, saying neutral conditions were more likely. The Climate Prediction Center (CPC), an agency of the National Weather Service, said in a monthly forecast there was […] Read more