Pressure ridge should give way by mid-month
Hot start to September for most of Prairies
File photo of a sunrise over an Alberta barley crop. (MNphotography/iStock/Getty Images)
WINNIPEG – While there’s not one specific cause of the hot September the Canadian Prairies has generally been having so far, Chief Scientist Scott Kehler of Weatherlogics noted one particular shorter-term factor.
“There is a fairly strong upper-level ridge of high pressure across the Prairies right now,” he explained, noting it should dissipate by mid-month.
Kehler said the heat has been felt in all three Prairie provinces, while Saskatchewan and Manitoba have been much drier since the spring.
He said he expects temperatures to moderate towards something more normal come the middle of September.
“Although there’s no sign of a shift to wetter weather just yet,” Kehler added.
However, for late September there’s currently a lot of uncertainty, but the general trend should be present.
“We will be cooling off and that’s the chance we might see more precipitation return,” Kehler said.
Earlier this year, the eastern Prairies incurred much wetter conditions than normal, while the western half still dealt with last year’s severe drought. Rains going into summer brought some respite to the latter, with crops across the region doing quite well, although somewhat behind in their development.
The current spate of warm weather should generate a good deal of harvest progress across the Prairies.
