A crazy warm February across the Prairies

Will we see a below-average March but warm April?

In my January weather review, I said 2024 might be a wild year after the rollercoaster ride of January. Well, the wild weather continued, with spring-like temperatures into February and a cold and snowy end to the month. As we head into March, I wonder if we will see another flip like we saw last

How spring snowstorms on the Prairies stack up

The history of spring snowfalls

I promised to look at snow cover across the Prairies for the Feb. 29 issue of the Co-operator, but life and a cold bug got in the way. It can be tough to concentrate, especially when digging into numbers, when your head is aching and you can’t breathe through your nose. That article will have


Wild weather ride in January

Temperature records were shattered across the Prairies at the end of the month

If January was any indication of what weather will be like for the rest of 2024, it is going to be one wild year. What a month it was! It started off warm. Then winter showed up in full force, bringing record-breaking cold, especially over the western half of the Prairies. Luckily it didn’t last

Anatomy of a cold snap

While the polar vortex is an important trigger for this phenomenon, it’s not the only one

I’ve had a couple of really good questions over the last few weeks. One was very timely about the Polar Vortex, and the other was a question about the impact of volcanic activity on our climate, particularly the Tonga volcanic eruption back in January of 2022. Since the polar vortex question is a little more


Wind chill and the 2023 Prairie weather summary

Does a -52 C wind chill really mean it is -52 C outside?

I know I promised to dig into a month-by-month summary of last year’s weather across the Prairies, and I will get to it. First, I have received several emails and have overheard plenty of conversations about wind chill over the last week. Some of the emails ask about just what windchill is, but most ask

Warm weather dominated 2023 headlines

Part 1 of our look back on the weather of 2023

For those of you who have been reading my articles over the years, you probably know that the end of the December and the beginning of January means it’s time to reflect on the previous year’s weather. I like to start off with a global view and then zoom in to Canada and then, finally,


What’s the ideal Christmas weather?

Will there be snow on the ground or a brown holiday?

Every few years I like to revisit the topic of perfect Christmas holiday weather. Each year that I have looked at this, December has started out warm and dry with little snow cover across large parts of the southern Prairies. And what do we see this year? A warm start to December with below average

Weather forecasting 101: the short game

The granular detail of short range forecasting depends on complex models and constant updates

I recently tried to explain how I go about creating a forecast so you can do it too. Here is the Coles notes version: This final point is important. This is when you start to understand how different professional forecasters think. They might call for snow and yet the weather models don’t show snow. You


A warm start to winter

Most models agree it will be warmer than usual, with some variations

It is time once again to look at last month’s weather and peer ahead to the latest long-range forecasts. Fall is now officially over and we are beginning the meteorological winter, so let’s see how the fall weather numbers added up. Alberta once again had a very warm month compared to the long-term average. The

How to create your own weather forecast

There are plenty of resources but there’s a science and art to forecasting

One of the questions I’m asked most often is how I create my weather forecasts. I have discussed some of the weather websites I use, but I don’t think I’ve ever gone into detail. If I do a good job, I might put myself out of business! To create your own forecast, you first need