A rainy day on July 18, 2023 at the Ag in Motion outdoor farm show at Langham, Sask., west of Saskatoon. (Ag in Motion via Twitter)

Prairie Forecast: Summer heat to build back in

Issued July 19, covering July 19 to 26

It looks like the overall weather pattern is going to undergo another shift. After nearly two weeks of unseasonably cool and unsettled weather over the eastern half of the Prairies, with near-average conditions over the west, it looks like more typically summer weather will move back in. The massive area of low pressure that spun

A container terminal at the Port of Vancouver. (FangXiaNuo/E+/Canada)

B.C. longshore workers resume strike

Union caucus rejects federal mediator's proposed deal

The union representing longshore workers at Canada’s West Coast ports said its members would return to the picket line Tuesday afternoon after union leaders decided to reject a proposed agreement. The International Longshore and Warehouse Union (ILWU Canada), which represents about 7,400 longshore workers at various Vancouver and Prince Rupert port facilities, said Tuesday afternoon


Have a plan before you climb that ladder and enter a bin.

Grain bin safety starts with a plan

A few key points can improve safety when you have to enter a bin

Every year, several Canadian farmers and workers suffocate in grain bins. These deaths are preventable. People can become caught or trapped in grain bins in three different ways: Moving or flowing grain is involved in all three. When working with grain – loading it, unloading it and moving it from bin to bin – farmers

This file photo shows a rack of blood samples being tested for bovine tuberculosis in New Zealand dairy cattle. (Lakeview_Images/iStock/Getty Images)

More bovine TB cases found in Saskatchewan herd

Herd now depopulated, one separate contact herd identified

Corrected, July 14 — Postmortem testing of a Saskatchewan cattle herd culled after turning up three confirmed cases of bovine tuberculosis (TB) has yielded six more cases. The Canadian Food Inspection Agency (CFIA), which is tasked with testing the infected herd, said Thursday that as of July 12, a total of eight cases of bovine


File photo of beluga whales in Hudson Bay off Churchill, Manitoba. (Lynn_Bystrom/iStock/Getty Images)

Prairie Forecast: Large Hudson Bay low dominates

Forecast issued July 12, covering July 12-19

As the weather models correctly predicted, a large and extremely strong area of low pressure formed over Hudson Bay during the last forecast period, bringing the expected cool and unsettled weather to the eastern half of the Prairies. Over the western half of the Prairies a weak upper-level ridging brought, for the most part, sunny

Current regulations and by-the-kilometer pay discourage and penalize drivers from resting when they feel tired or stopping when road conditions are bad.

Comment: Semi safety needs a wider scope

A safer trucking industry is more than just driver training

Details are still emerging about the recent collision between a bus carrying seniors and a semi in southern Manitoba. It is now clear that the truck had right of way. However, police have not yet determined cause or potential culpability. What we know for certain is that this is one of the worst road accidents



June was warmer than July on average

In this month's outlook, the CFS model calls for around-average temperatures and above-average precipitation

If you remember back to May, one of the comments about what June’s weather might be like was the possibility of instant summer. That is exactly what happened across the Prairies in June. Right from the beginning of the month, it felt like we just left spring and jumped right into the middle of summer.


Grey skies over the Alberta landscape, July 2023. (Geralyn Wichers photo)

Prairie Forecast: Big change in weather pattern

Issued July 5, covering July 5-12

Most people have been saying that June felt like July and the weather statistics agreed. Well, if the weather models are correct, it’s looking like July will feel more like June — at least for the next forecast period. Here is the big picture before we dive into the details for each of the three

Straight-line winds can be the worst thunderstorm threat

Meteorology 101: Not all, but nearly all such winds occur near a storm's leading edge

The latest world monthly temperature rankings have come out for May. Not surprisingly, it turned out to be one of the warmest Mays on record, rated third warmest by both NASA and NOAA. The European Copernicus Climate Change Service ranked May as the second-warmest, while the Japanese meteorological agency placed May as the warmest on