Ag Weather Forum

Snow and Cold Arrive Early This Season in Canada's Prairies

Doug Webster
By  Doug Webster , DTN Senior Ag Meteorologist
Crops such as this wheat one in Alberta, Canada fought to survive against several inches of snow and freezing weather this week. Farmers will need to assess how much damage they received from the early wintry blast in Western Canada. (DTN photo by Cliff Jamieson)

Harvest has been either shut down or slowed significantly across the Canadian Prairies during recent days as an early preview of winter-like weather has come into the region. Crop damage assessment will be needed for many areas as frosts, freezing weather and snow across Alberta during recent days may cut into this season's crop yield.

Across Saskatchewan and Manitoba, Friday morning's low temperatures look to be the major threat as enough wind and clouds during the past two nights have prevented frost and freeze conditions. Tonight, clear skies and light winds may result in lower temperatures and potentially damage late-maturing crops.

Snow has been a big story across Alberta this week. Calgary's total of 28.2 centimeters (11.1 inches) during the past three days included a record daily total of 11.8 cm on Monday. Snow across Alberta at this time of year is not unheard of, but is probably best termed as uncommon. The record total of 11.8 cm Monday recorded at Calgary's airport only beat the old record by 0.1 cm set back in 1921. (Some areas of Calgary got even more snow: Environment Canada reported by 8 p.m. that night the northwest part of the city had received 20 cm.)

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Numerous pictures of snow-covered roads and trees have been posted all over the internet during recent days surrounding and including the Calgary area. Crops have been under the gun for survival, while humans dealt with difficult travel and power outage problems.

After winter's slap in the face this week, a much more agreeable weather pattern will take shape this coming weekend and well into, if not through, next week. The unseasonably strong trough that has made its way southeastward across Western Canada will find a home across eastern Canada by later this weekend into next week, being replaced by an upper level ridge of high pressure.

The good news is that much milder weather and dry conditions will return to the Prairies during the coming days and likely last well into next week. These improved conditions will allow for damage assessment and a resumption of harvest for many areas. Harvest has been slow during the past two weeks because of wet weather with recent reports of harvest progress being only about 50% of what it was at this time last year.

The late summer/early fall wet weather has also slowed the seeding of winter wheat in many areas. Many of the model products we use to forecast as long as a few weeks ahead point to an improved weather pattern for harvest and seeding of fall cereals during the remainder of September.

Doug Webster can be reached at doug.webster@dtn.com

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Bruce Neufeldt
9/12/2014 | 8:06 AM CDT
Minus 2 degrees north of Saskatoon this morning. First frost of the year. Some late canola and wheat that may show some damage.