Prairie Weather this Week (Rural Roots Canada):

Thursday

Alberta

Much of Alberta was hit with a light frost early Thursday morning, but in some areas, particularly south and west of Calgary, temperatures dropped to -4 or -5.  The map below shows temperatures at 2:12 AM Thursday morning.   It is doubtful there was a killing frost, as temperatires of -4 in Foothlls County and -5 in Wheatland County didn’t last long enough.

prairie weather
Courtesy: Wundermap

For the rest of the day,  a surface high pressure system will provide dry weather.   It will stay cool all day, with afternoon temperatures in Alberta reaching only the low double digits.

Saskatchewan

It will be a dry day in Saskatchewan, but the weather pattern will be cold, with temperatures reaching afternoon highs of only about 10 degrees in southwestern Saskatchewan,  5-10 degrees in southeastern Saskatchewan, and low single digit highs in the north.  No significant weather is expected.  It may be cool, but it’s a great day for harvesting operations.

Manitoba

A Low in the northern reaches of Hudson Bay will produce snow through most of the day in Northern Manitoba.   It looks like the agricultural south escaped morning frost.  Despite cool weather, conditions should be good for the harvest to continue in the south, as temperatures stay in the low single digits.

Friday

Alberta

A surface high develops in southeastern BC, with a trough of low pressure on the Alberta side of the Rockies.   This is a setup for dry weather.  From the trough, a centre of Low pressure will develop near Jasper in the midday, moving toward Red Deer by sunset.   The only precipitation to come out of the low will be in the late afternoon near Grande Prairie and the Peace Region. There will be widespread frost across the province Friday morning,  and this may bring a killing frost to areas that survived the Thursday morning freeze.   There will be a big rebound in temperatures in the afternoon, with 15-20 degree highs expected south of Edmonton.    There will be a terrific opportunity to bring in the crops that have survived the freezing cold mornings.

Saskatchewan

Expect widespread frost in the early morning, and the chance is very good that this will be a killing frost.   If so, it would be unfortunate, as no precipitation is expected at all, anywhere in Saskatchewan on Friday, and it would be a terrific day to work the fields.   Southwestern Saskatchewan will see temperatures rising to the high teens.  It will be progressively cooler heading east, with only single digit highs expected near the Manitoba boundary.

Manitoba

Southwestern Manitoba, west of Portage La Prairie, can expect its first frost Friday morning, and it will be a killing frost in some areas.    The remainder of the day will be cold, with temperatures peaking only between 5 and 10 degrees.  Under the influence of high pressure, the province will remain dry all day, and with frost now a genuine threat, the harvest, where possible, should be rushed to completion.

Saturday and Sunday

The Low in Alberta will move across central Saskatchewan, and as it does, it will deposit rain to most of Alberta north of Edmonton.   The rain will become more intense and widespread in Saskatchewan Saturday morning, and will continue there through most of the day.  The rain will move east as the Low heads to the Manitoba lakes.   As it does, the Low will further intensify,  and rain will fall Saturday afternoon and Sunday morning from York Factory to North Dakota.   The rest of the prairies will stay dry through the weekend.

Event Forecasts

Smoky Lake Great White North Weigh Off and Fair,  October 5, Smoky Lake, AB

Partly cloudy,  high 10

Farm Day in the City, October 6, Humboldt, SK

Mainly sunny, high 15

COMPARE TO EARLIER IN THE WEEK: Prairie Weather This Week – Sept. 30