File photo of beluga whales in Hudson Bay off Churchill, Manitoba. (Lynn_Bystrom/iStock/Getty Images)

Prairie Forecast: Large Hudson Bay low dominates

Forecast issued July 12, covering July 12-19

As the weather models correctly predicted, a large and extremely strong area of low pressure formed over Hudson Bay during the last forecast period, bringing the expected cool and unsettled weather to the eastern half of the Prairies. Over the western half of the Prairies a weak upper-level ridging brought, for the most part, sunny […] Read more

Grey skies over the Alberta landscape, July 2023. (Geralyn Wichers photo)

Prairie Forecast: Big change in weather pattern

Issued July 5, covering July 5-12

Most people have been saying that June felt like July and the weather statistics agreed. Well, if the weather models are correct, it’s looking like July will feel more like June — at least for the next forecast period. Here is the big picture before we dive into the details for each of the three […] Read more

Forecast probability of temperatures above, below and/or near normal for the period from July through September 2023, based on three equiprobable categories from 1991-2020 climatology. (Weather.gc.ca)

Dry, hot Canadian summer expected

Normal precip expected for Ontario, Quebec

MarketsFarm — Warmer-than-normal temperatures are expected across all of Canada for the next three months, with average precipitation in most of the agricultural areas of the Prairies. That’s according to the latest long-range seasonal forecast from Environment Canada, released Friday. The government department calls for a 50-70 per cent chance of above-normal temperatures from July […] Read more

Mammatus-type clouds over Winnipeg on the evening of July 2, 2023. (Dave Bedard photo)

Prairie Forecast Update: Low lingers in Manitoba

Issued July 2, covering July 3 to 5

The overall forecast remains on track across both Alberta and Saskatchewan, so only a small update is needed for Manitoba. Across Manitoba, the area of low pressure that has been tracking across the northern half of the Prairie provinces is now forecasted to take a little longer to exit this region. The two main impacts […] Read more

(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Saskatchewan drainage work rebates expanded to farmers

Channel clearing, drain maintenance program shares eligible costs

A program to help rural Saskatchewan municipalities and local authorities cover costs of channel clearing and maintaining drains for flood prevention will now expand to include individual landowners. The province’s Water Security Agency (WSA) said Friday its $1 million cost-share rebate program will expand its eligibility beyond RMs, conservation and development area (C+D) authorities and […] Read more


(Warchi/iStock/Getty Images)

Prairie Forecast: Alberta low to bring bit of a cooldown

Issued June 28, covering June 28 to July 5

After a fairly active weather pattern over the last few days, at least across the eastern half of the Prairies, it looks like most regions will see much quieter few days to start off this forecast period. Weak upper-level ridging combine with a broad but weak area of surface high pressure should bring typical summer […] Read more

CBOT December 2023 corn with 20-, 50- and 100-day moving averages. (Barchart)

U.S. grains: Corn, soy slide as Midwest rain outlook improves

Wheat drops on Russia production outlook

Chicago | Reuters — U.S. new-crop corn and soybean futures fell on Tuesday to their lowest in more than a week, pressured by forecasts for much-needed rains in the Midwest where crops have been deteriorating under dry conditions, analysts said. Wheat futures tumbled more than five per cent as worries subsided about political instability in […] Read more

Ripened saskatoon berries in Winnipeg on June 26, 2023. (Dave Bedard photo)

Prairie Forecast Update: Low to push across region’s east

Update issued June 25, covering June 25-28

There has been a little bit of a shift in the overall weather pattern according to the latest weather model runs. The arctic high is dropping east-southeast as expected and will be around James Bay by the middle of this week. Along the southern boundary of the arctic air, the weather models show an area […] Read more


(Photo courtesy Canada Beef Inc.)

Feed weekly outlook: Rains lift interest, prices

Dry conditions in U.S. Corn Belt supportive

MarketsFarm — When Alberta was dry, feed prices drew little interest according to Susanne Leclerc of Market Master Ltd. in Edmonton. But that changed after some timely rains, with prices on the rise. “There’s more demand than we have seen in a while,” Leclerc said. “When crops were looking crappy and people were worried about […] Read more

Ducklings on display at the Red River Ex in Winnipeg on June 20, 2023 stuck to the shady side of the waterer as daytime temperatures maxed out at nearly 36 C. (Dave Bedard photo)

Prairie Forecast: Shift in the pattern

Issued June 21, covering June 21 to 28

The weather pattern that brought some record heat to the eastern Prairies, and some significant rains to parts of Alberta, looks like it will be undergoing a bit of change during this forecast period. The overall flow across the Prairies appears as though it will become predominantly northwesterly as an upper low sets up over […] Read more