Reading Time: 3 minutes As I pointed out in the last article, instead of zeroing in on the main culprit of severe summer weather — the thunderstorm — I am going to look at each type of weather warning and outline just what type of weather pattern brings about the best chance of experiencing that warning. The first type […] Read more
Wind is the wild card in the creation of dust storms
Sun and warm weather can quickly dry out fields, but those conditions don’t usually come with high winds
Beginning our look at severe summer weather
Knowing an alert from a watch or a warning will help keep you informed, and safe
Reading Time: 3 minutes Usually around this time of the year I start my annual look at severe summer weather, but before we dive into that topic, the global March temperatures are in and the planet has beat another record. March 2015, according to the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), was the warmest March since records began […] Read more
Weather stories from one pole to another
It’s been warm at the poles, raining in the driest place in the world, and California is headed for trouble
Reading Time: 3 minutes The snowpack has pretty much disappeared across farmland on the Prairies, and, as is typical with spring, the snow has come and gone a few times now! That said, for the most part, it was a fairly early year for snow cover loss. With rising temperatures our thoughts slowly begin to shift towards more summer-like weather, […] Read more
It’s getting dry — is it time to worry?
No, says weather expert, but areas across the province are on Bruce Burnett’s watch list
Reading Time: 3 minutes With warm-weather records dropping like flies and bare fields drying out in parts of the province, is there trouble ahead? Don’t worry yet, says Bruce Burnett, weather and crops specialist at the CWB. “I don’t think that this early-spring weather means that we are necessarily headed for a drought,” Burnett said in a March 20 […] Read more
How the winds blow and big spring snowstorms
A new website lets you see how air is moving around the planet, and history proves that late-winter storms can bring major snowfalls
Reading Time: 3 minutes To start off this week I just have to share one of the coolest weather-related websites I’ve come across in a long time. I think it was last year when I shared a link to a website that showed surface winds across North America. It was a website that was actually created as part of an […] Read more
Mother Nature had us guessing ‘what next’ all year long
Five to Remember: There were hurricane-force winds in January, snow in September, and an unexpected bonus come October
Reading Time: 2 minutes A whole bunch of snow. Really wet. Really dry. Wet again. Snow in September. And finally a respite. It wasn’t Mother Nature at her worst, but she kept everyone on their toes right from the get-go. Bonnyville farmer Taylor Snyder was helping a neighbour unload canola on Jan. 15 when the winds began to howl, […] Read more
U.S. weather forecaster slightly reduces El Nino outlook
New York / Reuters – The U.S. weather forecaster on Thursday projected a 58 percent chance of El Nino developing during the Northern Hemisphere winter, reducing its outlook for the likelihood of the weather phenomenon in its monthly report.The Climate Prediction Center, an agency of the National Weather Service, said the most recent atmosphere and ocean […] Read more
Rain, rain, come again
A series of late-July storms brought some relief to some parts of the province, but a lack of moisture is the big issue on many farms
Reading Time: 4 minutes Hot, sunny weather around the province through much of July made for ideal BBQ and beach weather — but bordered on too much of a good thing for some Alberta crops. With the exception of the fairly wet Lake Country, farmers around almost the entire province hoped for rain when the low-pressure system blew through […] Read more
Drenched again: South inundated, but it could have been worse
The damage to infrastructure will take time to repair, and the effects on many farms and ranches will be long lasting
Reading Time: 5 minutes The night Willow Creek flooded was a sleepless one for Cecilie Fleming and husband Duncan. Every hour, the couple slogged through the rain and the mud in their yard just east of the creek and used an electric fence post to measure the rise of the rapidly swelling torrent of water. Two feet became four […] Read more
Root rot risk on the rise
Root rot symptoms are often confused with other crop problems, so early detection and accurate diagnosis is critical
Reading Time: 3 minutes Early-season root rots could be on the rise in areas of the province that had a cool, wet start to seeding. “In the past few years, we’ve seen a lot of root disease issues, and I would say they’re primarily driven by environment,” said Michael Harding, research scientist with Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development. “These […] Read more