La Nina's Impact

If the weather forecasters are right, it could be shaping up to be a drier winter for some areas of the Prairies.

Bruce Burnett, the Director of Weather and Markets for MarketsFarm, says we are into our second La Nina which is expected to bring below normal temperatures for the eastern prairies and above normal snowfall in the Parkland region.

"That's more or less what usually happens during a La Nina. Unfortunately, in the southwestern parts of the prairies, we tend to be dry, more or less during a La Nina. Unless a few systems escape. That's our hope for this year."

That's on the back of one of the most severe droughts since 1988.

He says 2021 was even worse than in '88 because it covered a larger area this year.

According to Burnett, the bulk of the prairies was drier than normal, with areas from Southern Alberta up into Northeastern Saskatchewan reporting a 200 millimetre deficit in rainfall.

The only area that didn't report a rainfall deficit was in an area just south of Regina.

He notes that the wet weather we've seen on the West Coast is a result of the La Nina.

The heavy rain caused severe flooding and mudslides in parts of BC that impacted road and rail transportation. 

Generally, a La Nina means above average precipitation in British Columbia, and colder-than-normal temperatures in the Prairies.

South of the border, it usually means drier and warmer temperatures for the southern half of the U.S.

Bruce Burnett was one of the key presenters during last week's Farm Forum.