Reuters — A tornado spun for several hours through southwestern Manitoba late Monday in a fierce Canadian Prairie storm that caused flash flooding and shredded part of a highway. No injuries or major damage was reported, according to a statement by Environment Canada, federal weather forecaster. “What was just shocking was the duration on the […] Read more
Three-hour tornado & Regina’s wettest day ever
Keep watch: How to spot the warning signs of a tornado
A dark area between the storm and the ground, a green tint to the sky, and a line of swirling clouds are all danger signs
Reading Time: 3 minutes This next topic in our look at different types of severe summer weather is severe thunderstorms, and in particular, high winds. When we think of severe thunderstorms one word that should make you worried and nervous is tornado. While tornadoes are the most destructive feature that can occur within a thunderstorm, they are fairly rare, with […] Read more
Stress could be taking its toll on you — know the signs
Withdrawing, not wanting to eat, and constant worry are all signs of stress that could lead to more serious issues
Reading Time: 3 minutes In tough times — like this year’s drought — stress can creep up on you. So take a moment to think how your friends and family are holding up. “I really encourage people to notice what other people are doing when it’s stressful like this. You may need to look after each other a bit […] Read more
Sell or hang on? Cattle producers facing tough choices
Some have already pulled the trigger and sold cattle, others are holding back and hoping they’ll have enough feed
Reading Time: 3 minutes It was supposed to be the year to grow the cattle herd — but Mother Nature and dry conditions across Alberta have changed all that. A lack of hay and pasture makes for tough choices and some are taking cattle to market. Viking Hutterite Colony usually buys calves, backgrounds them until spring, and then turns […] Read more
When it comes to hail, not all parts of the Prairies are equal
South-central Alberta and south-central Manitoba get the worst hailstorms — but for different reasons
Reading Time: 4 minutes So far in our look at different types of severe summer weather, we’ve looked at heavy rainfall warnings and heat warnings. I was going to take a break from our examination of severe summer weather for this issue and examine some of the unique weather events that have taken place across the world over the […] Read more
For producers, it’s wait and pray time for rain
Pastures and hayfields have been hardest hit but AFSC analyst still expects a ‘slightly below-average crop’
Reading Time: 3 minutes The conditions across Alberta can be summed up in three words: It’s awfully dry. “As of Tuesday, we’ve been getting some moisture here in central Alberta, which has been a nice break, but I don’t know how general that moisture has been,” AFSC risk analyst James Wright said in an interview June 12. “We haven’t […] Read more
The damage to crops is done — but how much worse will it get?
It’s not a writeoff yet, but recovery potential is limited and a late harvest seems inevitable, says crop expert
Reading Time: 3 minutes After one of the “driest Mays on record,” producers across the Prairies are wondering how their crops are going to fare this growing season. It’s not looking good. “The crops are going to be substantially smaller than they have been over the past few years,” Bruce Burnett, CWB crop and weather specialist, said in an […] Read more
Things not going as hoped? That’s normal, says crop specialist
Whether it’s production conditions or markets, producers need to have a Plan B
Reading Time: 2 minutes Preparation is key when dealing with the unexpected, says provincial crop specialist Harry Brook. “There’s always a lot of talk about ‘normal’ when talking about cropping and agriculture,” said Brook. “Advanced planning and adjustments are needed to avoid possible devastating results when ‘normal’ doesn’t occur. Whether it applies to spring weather conditions or markets or […] Read more
What’s happening above when it comes down in buckets all day long
It’s been a dry spring, but we’re moving into the time of year when heavy rainfall events occur more frequently
Reading Time: 3 minutes So far this spring, a good portion of Alberta and Saskatchewan has not seen any heavy rainfall events. If you check out the map above you’ll see the large red and amber areas that represent rainfall amounts that are 60 per cent of average or less. Hopefully, my writing about heavy rainfall won’t put a jinx […] Read more
What goes into the making of a heavy rainfall event
Ever wondered why it’s so muggy before some thunderstorms or why some have lulls between torrents of rain?
Reading Time: 3 minutes As we slowly slide into summer it seems an appropriate time to take a look at our next type of severe summer weather — heavy rainfall. Often, when you think of severe weather and heavy rainfall, you don’t put the two together. Oh sure, the Prairies can see huge dumps of rain, but we often dismiss […] Read more