After multiple years of drought, could relief finally be on the horizon for farmers in Western Canada?
According to Nutrien’s senior meteorologist Andrew Pritchard, the shift away from La Niña conditions means the deck is no longer stacked against above-average precipitation in the Prairies this winter. While specific storms cannot yet be predicted, Prichard says with cautious optimism, and the jet stream pattern transitions, there could be more impactful moisture-bearing systems for the drought-struck regions.
Meanwhile, in Eastern Canada, as harvest season hits fill swing, farmers are bracing for a dramatic shift in the weather that threatens to put a damper on combine rides. Pritchard says the region is poised to go from an unusually long stretch of summer-like heat, to significantly cooler and wetter conditions just as harvest is getting underway in earnest.
With a cold front set to sweep through bringing showers and storms, Prichard warns that eastern farmers should expect a more “typical fall cadence” of unsettled weather, with lingering precipitation possible over the following weeks.
Click below for a full conversation between Pritchard and RealAgriculture founder Shaun Haney, on what farmers can expect in the final quarter of 2023:
Subscribe: Apple Podcasts | Google Podcasts | Spotify | RSS | All Podcasts
Please register to read and comment.