El Niño and chaos theory

Will Western Canada have the textbook warm and dry El Niño winter?

El Niño can affect the kind of weather we might expect this winter. The formation and movement of one system can impact how other systems behave around the world. This is called teleconnection, which refers to the long-distance relationships or connections between climate events that occur in different parts of the world. This fundamental concept

A mixed outlook for July and August

The long-range forecasts from various sources are all over the map, meaning confidence is low

I don’t know about you, but June seemed to go by in a flash. It is hard to believe we are halfway through 2022, and depending on where you live across the Prairies, it has been a very interesting first six months. So, how did the numbers add up for June? Starting in Alberta and


Forecast: Warm weather to build back in

Issued August 14, 2017: Covering the period from August 16 to August 23

Even though I had to create the forecast early last week I was still able to pull off a reasonably accurate one. I would love to take full credit for that, but sometimes you just get lucky. After all, I am just reading weather models and trying to pick which models are doing the best

The rain dilemma for U.S. corn, soybeans

The rain dilemma for U.S. corn, soybeans

Localized storms are making widely used weather models less meaningful to the market


Rain has been falling across the U.S. Corn and Soybean Belt this month but crop ratings have been low or declining, a sign that some farmers may be getting too much moisture while others have parched fields. Because summer storms have been so localized, the two leading weather models used by traders may be little

Forecast: Cooling down to more seasonal temperatures

Issued February 17, 2017 – Covering the period from February 22 to March 1, 2017

Due to the holiday Monday, my deadline for the weather forecast was much earlier than usual. Because of this, I will have to skip some of the details and stick with a more generalized forecast. After a warm to record-warm end to the last forecast period, this forecast period is going to feel a little


Forecast: Weather outlook a little drier and cooler

Issued June 27, 2016 – Covering the period from June 29 to July 6, 2016

Last week’s weather was almost exactly what was expected. The strong weekend low did track a little farther north than forecast, but it still brought the anticipated stormy wet weather. Luckily, it looks like we’ll see some drier weather during this forecast period — I hope. This forecast period begins with partly cloudy skies on

Weather forecast predicts an unsettled pattern developing

Issued: Monday, May 11, 2015 – Covering: May 13 – May 20, 2015

Late last week and into the weekend we experienced a classic example of a small change in a weather system that ended up having a big impact on the weather. A large area of low pressure moved up and passed through our region late last week as forecast, but the system ended up being a

Showers and thundershowers in our forecast

Issued: Monday, May 4, 2015 – Covering: May 6 – May 13, 2015

Last week’s forecast played out pretty much as expected, with the only deviation from the weather models coming from the timing of the cold front that pushed across Manitoba over the weekend. The original forecast had the front coming through late Sunday, but instead it came through Saturday afternoon. We also saw temperatures make it


Mild weather moves back in on the Prairies

Issued: Monday, April 27, 2015 – Covering: April 29 – May 6, 2015

Sometimes you just have to love the way the weather works out. Looking at last week’s forecast, depending on where you lived, it was either way off or perfect. For those of you who thought it was perfect, the predicted forecast wasn’t the reason why. When it comes to weather forecasting, sometimes you just can’t

Mild weather should continue

Issued: Monday, April 13, 2015 – Covering: April 15 – April 22, 2015

The weather pattern played out a little quicker than forecast last week. The mild weather moved in as expected, but the cold front moved through on Sunday instead of Monday. For this forecast period it looks like the mild weather will continue, but the overall pattern, while mainly dry, will be fairly active. This means