MarketsFarm — Canada’s Prairies are looking at normal temperatures over the next month to three months, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC).
The federal department on Tuesday issued its temperature and precipitation probabilistic forecasts, which also called for normal precipitation for most of the region.
“The forecast is really neutral for the Prairies, with ‘normal’ temperatures forecast for April, May and June,” Bruce Burnett, MarketsFarm’s director of markets and weather, said Tuesday..
Temperature-wise, ECCC projected below-normal weather for British Columbia and parts of western Alberta. To the east, much of Ontario is expected to run above normal, with most of the southern portion being normal to above normal. Growing areas of Quebec are expected to be near normal with the Maritimes to be near normal.
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For the upcoming forecast period, a large area of low pressure remains anchored off the British Columbia coast, a strong low spins over the Atlantic coast and another, weaker low lingers near Hudson Bay. Between these systems, the flow across the Prairies is largely zonal, meaning it moves west to east with little north–south movement. That pattern will help usher a few weak disturbances across the region during the next several days.
“The main driver of the forecast is likely the transition of the La Nina into the neutral phase over the forecast period,” Burnett said.
As for precipitation over the same time frame, ECCC has not called for any growing areas in Canada to receive any amounts above normal. However, southern Alberta and western Saskatchewan are projected to receive below-normal precipitation, as are Nova Scotia and southern New Brunswick. That left the remainder of Canada’s growing areas likely to get normal levels of rain or snow over the coming months.
“The lower-than-normal precipitation probability in southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan is a concern as this was the driest region going into the fall,” Burnett said.
