Warm winter: Putting it all together

It looks like this is a good time to finish our look at the different weather patterns that have been affecting our weather this winter, because the weather pattern that has been dominating for most of the fall and winter appears to be undergoing a shift. In the last article we continued our look at

Will we see a late-winter cold snap?

It’s looking more and more likely that our weather pattern will undergo a bit of a switch over the next week or so. We saw the first indications of this early in the week, as a Colorado low brushed southeastern areas and brought the first heavy snow event of the year to this region. No


La Niña seen fading between March and May

La Niña, a weather phenomenon usually linked to heavy rains and flooding in Asia-Pacific and South America and drought in Africa, seems to have reached its peak and is expected to fade between March and May, the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) said Feb. 10. A weak to moderate La Niña pattern has cooled the tropical

Weather a mixed blessing for insects

Insect populations overwintering in Western Canada are likely enjoying the warmer-than-normal temperatures seen across the Canadian Prairies this winter, but the lack of snow cover could lead to increased mortality if and when the mercury does drop. Environment Canada forecasts for Manitoba, Saskatchewan, and Alberta are calling for unseasonably warm temperatures over the next week,


Weaker sun will not delay global warming

London/ Reuters / A weaker sun over the next 90 years is not likely to significantly delay a rise in global temperature caused by greenhouse gases, a report said Jan. 23. The study, by Britain’s Meteorological Office and the University of Reading, found that the sun’s output would decrease up until 2100 but this would

Semi-permanent highs and lows

By the time you read this article it will already be February and you will probably be expecting the usual monthly weather summary and looking forward to seeing what the long-range forecasts call for in the next month. Unfortunately, because I write these articles in advance to meet publishing deadlines, the long-range outlook will have


Expect conditions mild to start, then cooler

Ithink the first thing I need to point out is that the usual temperature range for this time of the year is now getting warmer, which means we are past the middle of winter and heading toward spring! That is pretty much how this forecast looks. It doesn’t look like the overall pattern we’ve been

Record-breaking temperatures

Iknow some of you who faithfully follow my weather column are going to be upset, but I have to take a break from the explanation of what causes the North Atlantic Oscillation and focus this week instead on the monthly look back at the weather, then look ahead at what wonders the weather may hold


Cool start to the week, then mild

It looks more and more like winter will visit us during this forecast period. While things do look like they’ll get colder, it doesn’t look like we’ll see temperatures much colder than average during this forecast period — but to us so far this winter, it will feel cold! Weather for the first part of

Memories of disasters are all too soon forgotten

From Ripple Effect, a weekly newsletter from The Red River Basin Commission With the recent spate of wet years here in the Red River Basin, we’ve heard more than usual about risks of flooding. Statistical risks for flooding are based on the historical record of flooding and are typically expressed as statistical chances for certain