File photo of storm clouds over northeastern Alberta. (ImagineGolf/E+/Getty Images)

Prairie forecast: Summer pattern making forecast difficult

Forecast issued June 4, covering June 4-11, 2025

We start this forecast period off with an area of low pressure over far northern Manitoba that is slowly moving off into Hudson Bay. To the west, an area of low pressure is developing over the Yukon which is helping to develop a weak ridge of high pressure over Alberta. Over southern Saskatchewan and Manitoba weak high pressure is in place.


Farmers plant saplings in a rice field on the outskirts of Ahmedabad, India on July 5, 2019. (File photo: Reuters/Amit Dave)

India’s monsoon stalls after early start

Monsoon to pick up again around June 11

Rainfall over India is likely to remain subdued for over a week as the annual monsoon’s progress has stalled after its earliest onset in 16 years, though it is likely to pick up again from June 11, two senior weather bureau officials said on Monday.

Steve Rooke of Shark Farms Ltd. near Nanton, Alta., climbs onto to his tractor pulling a Morris Quantum 60 drill and tank during a recent demonstration of Morris seeding equipment organized by Viterra near High River, Alta. Seeding was 90 per cent complete in Alberta as of May 27, ahead of the five-year average of 81 per cent. Photo: Mike Sturk

Most crops off to good start

Some parts of the Prairies are very dry, but provincial crop specialists say it’s still early in the season

Some parts of the Prairies are very dry, but provincial crop specialists say it's still early in the season




Photo: Allan Dawson/File

Prairie forecast: Hot east, cool west

Forecast issued May 7, covering May 7 to 14, 2025

We saw a strong ridge of high pressure build in last week, which brought daytime highs into the low thirties across parts of the eastern Prairies. Once the ridge collapsed, cooler air moved back in. Well, it looks like we can expect another cycle of building and collapsing ridges. Then, starting on the weekend, the weather pattern should become more energetic thanks to a strong trough of low pressure forecasted to develop off the West Coast.



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Prairie forecast: Here comes the summery weather

Forecast issued April 30, covering April 30 to May 7, 2025

Well, one week is up and as I pointed out in last week's forecast, the weather pattern still looks like it is going to flip from a cool-ish spring regime right into a summer-like pattern. This flip should happen over the next few days.