Glacier FarmMedia – With spring planting on the Canadian Prairies a few weeks to a month away, the region’s weather outlook is very likely to take somewhat different paths, according to Scott Kehler of the Manitoba-based Weatherlogics.
Going into winter the Prairies were still quite dry, with the region getting little snow for most of the season. Only during late winter and into early spring was there a little bit more snow, which reduced the dryness to an extent.
“It looks like the western Prairies, Alberta and the western Saskatchewan, will start April with kind of normal temperatures. The eastern Prairies, especially Manitoba are looking to be warmer than normal for the first half of the month,” Kehler stated.
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In terms of precipitation, he said it’s a similar story, with the western half of the Prairies likely to be wetter than normal, especially southern Alberta and parts of Saskatchewan. Meanwhile the eastern half is more likely to experience conditions that could be a little bit more drier, Kehler explained.
A notable factor driving this divergence he pointed out is the diminishing El Niño.
“Typically when an El Niño starts to fade, often that will create a more active weather pattern on the Prairies,” he stated.
Kehler noted there will be greater potential for larger weather systems such as Colorado Lows, more rain, more snow and towards the end of April opportunities for thunderstorms.
— Glen Hallick reports for MarketsFarm from Winnipeg.
