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
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
Normal monsoon season expected for India
Reading Time: < 1 minute The India Meteorological Department is suggesting this year’s monsoon season will be average, the Times of India reports. The newspaper points to a recent weather bulletin from the agency saying El Niño won’t be a factor during the summer rainy season. The weather pattern — an abnormal warming of the ocean surface in central and […] Read more
Bezte: What the weather forecasters predict for this spring
As usual, you wouldn’t want to bet the farm on these predictions but it’s always fun to see who comes closest
Reading Time: 3 minutes By an overwhelming amount, the No. 1 question I’ve had over the last couple of weeks is what will the spring be like? While I usually wait until the end of the month to do the look-ahead forecast, I will use this article to go through each of the medium- and long-range forecasts to see what they […] Read more
It could have been a wreck, but no-till saved the day
Rain-soaked fields caused endless worry in spring but if you got a crop in, those moisture reserves were a godsend
Reading Time: 5 minutes The growing conditions Alberta producers experienced this past summer were a little like a man with one foot in hot water and the other in cold — neither is very comfortable, but overall it’s OK. “That’s kind of what we saw this year across the province,” said provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. “In the far […] Read more
Climate change equals more grass fires, says expert
Farmers should be aware of this danger and take steps to reduce the risk
Reading Time: 3 minutes This year’s spate of wildfires across the western Prairies were not an anomaly, but rather a “glimpse into the future” for Alberta farmers. “In Canada, our area burned has doubled since the 1970s, and I — and a number of others — attribute this to climate change,” said Mike Flannigan, a professor with the department […] Read more
Seventy-seven per cent of crops harvested, soil moisture conditions improve
Alberta crop conditions as of October 10
Reading Time: 2 minutes Harvest is complete in the Southern Region and nearly complete in the Central Region, while the northern regions in the province are still in mid-harvest. This past spring, the northern regions had some challenges with the harvesting of over-wintered crops which led to late seeding. As well, for these regions, rain, combined with snow and […] Read more
There are extreme rains, and then the deluge caused by Harvey
Some parts of Texas received more rain in 24 hours than Prairie centres have seen in their wettest-ever month
Reading Time: 2 minutes As fairly quiet weather continues across the Prairies, the big weather story recently has been Hurricane Harvey, which came ashore in Texas late on Aug. 26. Harvey rapidly strengthened in the 12-hour period leading up to landfall and came ashore as a borderline Category 4 hurricane, with top winds of 210 kilometres per hour. It wasn’t […] Read more
Dry weather offers harvest progress, but depletes soil moisture
Alberta crop conditions as of September 12
Reading Time: 2 minutes Warm and dry weather conditions have prevailed across the province for several weeks, with only a few scattered areas experiencing frost in September. However, dry weather depleted the soil moisture, especially in the Southern and Central Regions where a large part of crops have already been harvested and soil does not have the cover. A map […] Read more
Crop conditions decline in Alberta, recent rains offer little benefit
Alberta crop conditions as of August 8
Reading Time: 2 minutes Recent scattered rain across the province has been too light and variable to significantly improve soil moisture and crop conditions, especially in the Southern and Central Regions. Crop condition ratings declined for the Southern and Central Regions, improved for the North West and Peace Regions and remained unchanged in the North East Region from last […] Read more
Dry weather worsens declining crop conditions
Alberta crop conditions as of August 1
Reading Time: < 1 minute Provincial Crop Condition ratings declined a further 3 percentage points on the week to 57 per cent rated good or excellent as hot, dry weather continued throughout the South region and has broadened its hold in the Central region. Crop conditions declined 6 points in the South and recorded a significant 14 point drop in […] Read more
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