The lowdown on winter storms on the Prairies

It takes more than just a trough of low pressure to kick up a memorable winter storm

It takes more than just a trough of low pressure to develop an Alberta Clipper or Colorado Low, which are the biggest winter storms in Manitoba. It also takes humidity, temperature changes and a host of other variables coming into play.

Snow and a barbed wire fence.

Warm, cold and the polar vortex

Believe it or not, December 2013 was one of the warmest ever for the planet

The global weather numbers are in for December 2013, and it turns out that despite the cold weather parts of North America have been experiencing, the planet on a whole continues to be running a temperature. According to data from the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s (NOAA) National Climatic Data Center, NASA and University


Is the jet stream getting stuck more often?

It’s best to hope these ‘blocking patterns’ don’t become the norm This is one of those weeks when I’m just not sure what to write about, so I thought I’d discuss some ongoing weather research that just might help us understand how we could go from a record-warm March to a record-cold April in just

Out like a lamb and in like a lamb

When we have a quiet weather pattern with no strong systems affecting our region, it can sometimes be a little tough in the late winter and early spring to figure out just what will happen in regards to the weather. While last week’s forecast wasn’t too bad, it did miss out on a lot of


Less Arctic ice influencing our weather?

In the last issue I looked at possible trends in the amount of melting occurring during the winter across the Prairies. In this issue I’m going to look at another question that has repeatedly been asked of me, and I feel it kind of ties into the winter melting trends. This question has to do

How ice loss influences the jet stream

I’ve spent a fair bit of time discussing the record warm weather we experienced in March over the last few weeks. We’ve looked at just what led to this remarkable weather and we discussed just how intense it really was. The fact that we saw temperatures that were between three and four standard deviations above


Will the wet years be followed by drought in 2012?

Producers can expect drier-than-normal conditions this spring, according to weather outlooks for the next couple of months. “Less-than-normal precipitation across the Canadian Prairies ahead of the winter freeze-up have already left soil conditions on the drier side,” said Drew Lerner, with World Weather Inc. of Kansas City. The absence of significant snowfall and above-average temperatures

Dryness could continue into the summer

The dry conditions that prevailed through the latter half of 2011 may continue on through 2012, says Manitoba Agriculture weather specialist Mike Wroblewski. Speaking at the 27th annual St. Jean Farm Days here last week, Wroblewski said the stage was set for 2011 in 2010, which showed higher-than-normal precipitation. “But once the fall came, wham.


A positive oscillation and record-setting warmth

Iknow in the last issue I said I’d do a recap of last year’s weather both local and globally, but sometimes Mother Nature has her own ideas and I have no choice but to follow her lead. So you’ll have to wait another week or two for the recap of last year’s weather. The main

What’s Up With All The Rain?

How does the saying/ song go? “Rain, rain, go away, come again another day.” I think for a lot of people across at least the southern third of the Prairies, “another day” could be a month from now. Farther north, conditions are almost the exact opposite. Months of dry weather have left things extremely dry.