Prairie Weather This Week – Midweek Update Sept 18 |

Prairie Weather (Rural Roots Canada) – Sun, fog, rain, smoke, and a risk of frost! Typical September….

During harvest season, the end of the day doesn’t mean the end of a day’s work. But it does give farmers a chance to take a break and snap some beautiful photos. The photo below was taken near sunset at Porcupine Plain, in northeast Saskatchewan.

Farmers in the Bortheast Parkland have been spared the heavier rain of the past week in southeastern Saskatchewan, allowing the harvest to carry on.

Expect more wet weather in extreme southern Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan going into the weekend, while Alberta stays dry, due to an upper ridge. The wet weather is coming from a disturbance moving northeast from the central US, affecting the eastern Canadian prairies. Alberta won’t be 100% dry, as isolated thunderstorms are possible in the foothills. Those storms, in the central foothills, won’t produce much rain, and are away from agricultural concerns. On the other hand, southern Manitoba, already soaked by rain, will get even more. The next two maps show rainfall totals expected up to the end of the day Sunday, September 21:

Thursday

Alberta

Sunny to mostly sunny conditions can be expected across most of the province. Morning wind will die down in the afternoon. Isolated thunderstorms are possible in the west central foothills between Highways 1 and 16, and they will happen late in the day. Light rain will continue into the evening in that region, but is not expected to spread east beyond Edson. In the Grande Prairie and Peace River regions, lows Thursday night are forecast to drop to 4 degrees. A light frost in low lying areas cannot be ruled out.

Saskatchewan

Clouds and scattered showers can be expected Thursday in agricultural regions of southern Saskatchewan. The showers will cover much of southern Saskatchewan south of Saskatoon and east of Swift Current. No major rainfall is anticipated. Sunshine won’t be widespread so there is low drying potential, especially in southeastern Saskatchewan, where highs will only reach 10-15. It will be warmer elsewhere, with highs reaching the high teens and low 20s.

Manitoba

Scattered showers will continue in agricultural southern Manitoba Thursday, though most of the showers should be small and isolated. Isolated non-severe thunderstorms are possible, especially near the US border. The rain is produced by an inverted trough coming from a surface low pressure system in South Dakota. In a province that can’t catch a break this week, the rain showers and cooler weather will inhibit the drying process, and further delay the harvest.

Friday

Alberta

A transient ridge of high pressure brings drier weather across much of the province. Expect a calm morning with patchy fog; good opportunity for harvest operations to continue at a healthy pace. There is a slight chance of early morning showers in the Calgary and Drumheller areas, but they will be brief, and will quickly give way to sunshine. Across the province, expect afternoons to warm to the high teens and low 20s. Southeastern Alberta, near and south of Medicine Hat should reach the mid to high 20s.

Saskatchewan

Mostly dry under a ridge of high pressure with improving harvest windows across many regions; southern and southwest SK should be able to make good progress. However, in southeastern Saskatchewan, a few showers will persist until midday, when they will taper off and pull away. By late afternoon, the sky will begin clearing, and the region will join the rest of the province with drier weather. In the sunshine, southern and southwestern Saskatchewan can expect highs in the low 20s. In the rest of the province, it will be cool, with highs in the mid to high teens.

Manitoba

Still awaiting drier weather for harvest operations to resume, Manitoba is out of luck again Friday. The inverted trough from rhe US low will continue to push rain into southern Manitoba. The area of impact will drift from west to east as the day goes on. It will be cool, with highs only reaching the mid teens in most areas. Drying conditions remain poor.

Saturday

Alberta

Excellent harvest conditions continue for Alberta, with sunshine across the province, and a light wind. It will be a very warm day. From Athabasca south to the US border, afternoon highs will reach the high 20s. In northern Alberta, expect highs in the low 20s. At this time of year, when the sky is clear, there is often a risk of overnight frost. It will likely be too warm for that to happen this weekend.

Saskatchewan

Like Alberta, Saskatchewan will have. a dry, sunny, rainless day. Southeastern Saskatchewan will finally get a break. And with highs in the mid 20s across the province, the crops still unharvested in the southeast should begin to dry out. It remains doubtful, though, that fields in that area will be dry enough on Saturday to resume combining.

Manitoba

The rain should end by the afternoon in southwestern Manitoba, but continue through the day in the southeast. Residual moisture from the week’s rain will delay harvesting in the southwest, and continued rain in the southeast will also keep the equipment off the fields. It will be another chilly day, with temperatures in the low double digits.

Sunday

Alberta

Chinook conditions will develop Sunday morning in southern Alberta. Expect a chinook arch and a brisk westerly wind. Characteristic of a chinook is the development of low pressure on the downslope side of the Rockies. That low will form, the chinook will end, and the low will begin to produce rain in the central and northern foothills during the afternoon. The rain will strengthen, and reach the Edmonton-Calgary corridor in the evening. Before the wet weather sets in, temperatures across most of the province will reach the 20s, and possibly the high 20s in southern Alberta near the Saskatchewan boundary.

Saskatchewan and Manitoba

Both provinces will have a sunny Sunday, and in parts of southern Saskatchewan, temperatures should reach the high 20s. In southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba, the morning sun may lead to evapotranspiration. That’s where water stored in crops and other plants after the recent rain, lifts from the plant into the atmosphere, creating cloud. It’s unlikely, though, that this will result in rain, or anything but fair weather cumulus clouds. The ground may yet be too wet and soft to resume harvest…that’ll be a field-by-field decision.

EVENT FORECAST

Agricultural Societies Day Fall Harvest – Spruce Grove, Alberta – Saturday, September 20, 10:00 am to 2:00 pm

Event starts at 10:00 am – Sunny, light wind, 18 degrees.

Ends at 2:00 pm – Sunny, light breeze, 25 degrees.