Expect a catch-22 for weather on the Prairies this spring

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The southern part of the Prairies are extremely dry, a pattern that dips well into the Northern Great Plains of the U.S. Although the Canadian Prairie conditions are not as bad as in some states, the soil moisture map is pretty sad.

“It’s dry for the next week, there’s no doubt about it,” says David Tolleris, founder of WXRisk.com.

Tolleris says that the high pressure systems that are coming from the northwest and from Alaska are skipping over the Prairies and hitting the plains of the U.S. Midwest. If the jet stream shifts north then we could see June warm up.

If a normal amount of rainfall occurs later, in June and July, it’ll mean the crops will have to play catch-up for heat units. Tolleris says it will also take a long time for subsoil moisture to return.

“The way this is shaping up, is that you’ve got problems no matter what happens with the weather pattern,” says Tolleris. “If it turns really wet, you’re not getting the sunshine, and you need a lot of rain to recover, and if it stays dry, you may get somewhat better temperatures, but now you’re not getting rain.”

Listen to the full conversation for a short range forecast for Western Canada:

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