Daniel Bezte looks back on October weather on the Prairies and looks ahead to see whether there’s any consensus for this winter’s weather.
Weather Vane
October rain recharges Manitoba soils
October saw wet conditions in Manitoba, but rain in the western Prairies remained lacking
Forecasting winter 2025-26 in Manitoba
A weak La Niña is in play again this winter, but its effects aren’t clear
Three distinct factors are likely to drive the type of weather farmers and ranchers experience in Manitoba this winter, Daniel Bezte writes, starting this issue with a look at the atmospheric event known as La Niña.
Understanding wind chill
How wind chill actually impacts how cold you feel this winter, plus gift ideas for the weather nerd in your life
How wind chill actually impacts how cold you feel this winter, plus gift ideas for the weather nerd in your life
Smoke and weather a complex topic
It can either limit or enhance rainfall, depending on climatic conditions
When I started my yearly review of severe summer weather, we had smoke from forest fires across the Prairies. Then some annoying upper lows affected our weather, bringing cool and wet conditions, so I wrote about that. Now that is time to write about forest fire smoke, it is no longer an issue, hopefully for
Understanding early and late frosts
It’s one of the biggest risks every growing season, and that risk is rising
Besides drought, frost probably has the greatest impact on agriculture. As any Prairie farmer knows all too well, untimely frosts can result in substantial losses and the length of the frost-free season restricts agricultural opportunities. Dates of the last spring or first fall frosts vary from year to year, but overall, they are relatively constant.
The slow slide into drought
The current Prairie moisture situation is the result of years of ongoing precipitation deficits
We had a fairly major storm system on the Prairies last week, but it was not strong enough to warrant major attention. Manitoba received the most moisture from this system, with widespread 20 to 30 millimetres of rain mixed with snow. The northern half of agricultural Saskatchewan, along with the far eastern regions, also saw
March and February weather swapped out
March was colder than usual, following a warm February
March across the Prairies was almost, but not quite, a weather reversal of February. Last year, June had average temperatures equivalent to July’s, and July had average temperatures more like June. We didn’t quite see that in March, but in some locations, March was a little colder than February. The strange weather continues. March was
Why is the sky blue?
It comes down to how solar radiation interacts with the atmosphere
This week I am taking a break from Prairie weather to visit a tropical location. But before I got on the plane, I promised a younger reader I would tackle their question: why is the sky blue? And as part of that, why is it not blue early in the morning or evening? To tackle
Waiting on the spring snowmelt
Truly warm temperatures only rarely appear while there’s snow on the ground
A topic was brought to my attention by a reader in Manitoba, my home province. The western part of the province has unique topography that affects weather in that region. In Manitoba, we call these features Riding and Duck Mountains, but they are more like hills. Often when I discuss weather in what I refer
How heat and snow measured up in February
After little snow cover all winter, the snowpack is beginning to accumulate as we enter spring
I have been accused of it, but I am not a weather sorcerer! Yes, I talked about the history of big spring snowstorms, and delayed talk about lack of snow cover this winter, but that doesn’t mean I had anything to do with the snowy conditions across much of the Prairies in recent weeks. The
Cyber-Savvy Farmer
