WMO sees increased chance of El Niño in 2012

There is a slight chance of El Niño weather conditions developing between July and September but the strength of any such event, usually associated with significant changes in precipitation, is unknown, the World Meteorological Organization said June 26. El Niño is characterized by unusually warm ocean temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific. In


Seaway opens, expects strong year

The St. Lawrence Seaway is open and officials predict cargo shipments will rise by about three per cent to 38.6 million tonnes this year. Coal from Montana is expected to be a bright spot, but increased grain movement is expected following a $30-million investment by Parrish and Heimbecker in its grain-handling facility at Hamilton, the

Climate change blamed as hotter Australia faces more intense rains, droughts

(Reuters) Australia faces a quickening pace of climate change, according to a snapshot of the nation’s weather. A new government report says rainfall trends are changing and temperatures warming across the country. The report, compiled by the Bureau of Meteorology and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, comes after 18 months of record rains


2011: Record warmth in the Arctic

As we slowly make our way into 2012 I thought we should take a little bit of time to look back at how 2011 turned out globally. I’ve already mentioned that in the last half of 2011 our region of the world saw record-warm temperatures along with very dry conditions. Globally, 2011 came in tied

Briefs March 8, 2012

La Niña lingers on sydney / reuters / La Niña, a weather phenomenon linked to heavy rains in the Asia-Pacific region and South America and drought in Africa, continues to decline, but still hasn’t lost its punch, says Australia’s weather bureau. “While La Niña is clearly on the wane, waters around Australia remain warmer than


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

Taking A Look At La Niña – for Sep. 16, 2010

As summer comes to an end the most common question I have received is about what we should expect the coming winter to be like. Long-range forecasting is tough at the best of times, and most forecasts beyond 30 days are usually not more statistically correct than simply doing a coin toss, but – there


Warm Start To Summer To Continue

It seems like it’s time to revisit my prediction for a hot, dry summer! I have received a fair number of emails and comments pointing out how far off I was with my prediction for a hot, dry summer… although, I did hear someone say, and I have to admit it was a youngster pointing

La Niña Might Mean Good Crop This Year

The weather outlook for the 2009 growing season: normal temperatures and precipitation for most of the Prairies. Maybe. A weakening La Nińa effect could mean stable weather over much of the North American grain belt between June and August, with good crops possible, according to Mike Tannura, an American weather analyst. Four of Canada’s five