We start this forecast period with an area of low pressure exiting the eastern Prairie and taking the rain and wet snow with it. To the west, a weak frontal system looks ready to drop into northern Alberta where it should bring scattered showers.
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Prairie forecast: Warm weather gaining ground
Forecast issued April 23, covering April 23 to 30, 2025
Prairie forecast: Temperature rollercoaster to continue
Forecast issued April 16, covering April 16 to 23, 2025
Spring is the toughest time to forecast, but this spring is being particularly tough. The atmosphere is in a very meridional flow right now. That means there are lots of troughs and ridges. So, instead of a persistent westerly flow across our region we are seeing warm southerly flows as ridges build, followed by cool northerly flows as the ridges collapse and are replaced by troughs of low pressure.
Prairie forecast: Warm start, unsettled weekend across extreme south
Forecast issued April 9, covering April 9 to 16, 2025
When we have these battles between warm and cold air, there's always a good chance for a storm system or area of low pressure to develop. We've seen this happen a few times this spring and looking at the latest medium range weather models, the Prairies are likely in for a few more storms as the battle continues.
A wetter and drier world is coming for Prairie farmers
As warming supercharges the water cycle, the swings will become more pronounced
Earth’s oceans cover over 70 per cent of the planet’s surface, and they are a massive heat sink, absorbing more than 90 per cent of the excess heat trapped by greenhouse gases.
How plants conserve moisture in dry conditions
Plants do best when they have a little more moisture than they immediately require
In order to take in carbon dioxide to perform photosynthesis, a plant loses water vapour to the atmosphere as the stomata open. To counteract this, a steady supply of water is needed — hence what’s called the “transpiration paradox.”
Prairie forecast: Two lows and a high
Forecast issued April 2, covering April 2 to 9, 2025
This forecast period looks to be be defined by two areas of low pressure, one spinning off the west coast and the other spinning over eastern Canada. Exactly how these two lows behave a move will have a big impact on temperatures across the central and eastern Prairies.
Moisture outlook positive for spring seeding on Prairies
That said, a cold wet winter that brought snow to many places is raising concerns of delayed seeding
A lot of Prairie producers gathered at CropConnect in Winnipeg are wondering how moisture conditions will shape up this spring on the Prairies. The concerns revolve around a considerable snowpack in many places — and whether that might lead to saturated fields or a late start to seeding, if snowmelt comes too late or too quickly.
Tiny allies may help canola push through drought
Federal researchers examine soil microbes to see if they can help a crop withstand dry times
Researchers with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada in Saskatoon are studying the microbes that live near the roots of canola plants to see if the answers to developing drought tolerance can be found in the soil.
Prairie forecast: Spring storm could bring significant snow
Forecast issued March 26, covering March 26 to April 2, 2025
We start this forecast period with a strong area of low pressure pushing in off the southern coast of B.C. This low will bring very mild temperatures to southern Alberta on Wednesday and into Thursday. It will then help to develop an area of low pressure over south-central regions early Thursday morning.
Prairie forecast: Spring battle between warm and cold continues
Forecast issued March 19, covering March 19 to 26, 2025
For this forecast period the weather models are showing a fairly quiet weather pattern will only a couple of chances of light snow as weak systems track along the boundary between the cold Arctic air to our north and milder air to the south. This is the big question mark for this forecast period: just where will this boundary be?
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
