Thaw Brings Danger

The forecast models were correct in terms of the major heatwave and Chinook-type winds coming from Alberta.

Calgary, Alberta is seeing the biggest warm up in that province, with temperatures above 0 and an average of +5.

Saskatchewan is to see temperatures between -8 and 0 for the highs, and lows around -10, which to due to last until Friday. I should mention that the average high is -10 and average low -23 for Regina.

The warm temperatures will move into Manitoba Wednesday night; Winnipeg will see a temperature of 0 on Thursday with a risk of rain.

That is the danger of this warm weather outbreak: rain. Parts of Saskatchewan received freezing rain drizzle yesterday evening, making for dangerous driving conditions in places. I believe Regina will have another threat on Thursday of rain or freezing rain, but this possibility is always subject to change.

As always I will keep an update on the situation as it progresses...
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Extreme Windchill, then Thaw

The prairie provinces of Saskatchewan and Manitoba are currently being hit with a short-lived EXTREME Arctic blast last night and today, and Manitoba yet tomorrow. Meanwhile, Alberta is being hit by an extreme warm front.

Regina's temperatures overnight and this morning were colder than the majority of the province. Last night Environment Canada issued a Wind-chill warning for wind-chill values around -40 C overnight and morning. Insanely enough, -40 was not the case and on top of that they actually cancelled the warning before a.m., which could have proven dangerous.

Throughout last night and this morning the temperature continued to drop in Regina, and reached its peak at 10 a.m.: -36 C with a wind-chill of -48 C! For anyone who has never experienced -48 wind-chill, I can explain it like this: in a 8 minute walk my sunglasses literally froze, the brim of my hood turned white as did my scarves (yes I wore 2), AND my headphones were so stiff they did not move as I walked!

As mentioned this is short-lived, and the forecast by Monday is calling for the same warm front hitting Alberta now, which is giving them temperatures between 0 C and +10 C! Saskatchewan will see temperatures between 0 and -5 C.

In the meantime, stay warm!
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"Stormchasers" debut..and -40!

Last night (January 12/11) was the debut of the infamous show "Stormchasers" on Discovery Channel Canada. After a 2-year hiatus (without airing Seasons 2 or 3), this was the start of Season 4. It will be aired every Wednesday at both 10pm and midnight EST. I think it's about time!!

As a side note, Regina, Sask. reached the lowest temperature so far this winter at 7 a.m. I was thankfully awake and was able to not only witness it on the Weather Eye application but to actually feel it. The temperature at this point was -27 C, with a -40 windchill. Talk about extreme cold.
During the afternoon it warmed up to -16 with a light snow, but had a -33 windchill due to 60km/h winds. I again unfortunately had to feel that weather. It was frigid enough to make your legs numb and your scarf frost up.
From what I understand this region was colder than even areas in central Sask..

Bundle Up!

The weather on the prairies has been significant the last few days:
Alberta was seeing temperatures above freezing (up to +5*C), and they got the brunt of an intense snowstorm; Edmonton, Alberta reported 32 cm of snow in a day. At the same time, the western half of Saskatchewan had snowfall warnings. Most areas received around 6" of snow, while Regina got around 5" over the entire weekend.

Now Saskatchewan is being hit by brutally cold temperatures. At 12:30 am, the temperature in Regina reached -30*C with a wind chill of -39*C. That has been the coldest temperature we have had this winter.

The local forecasts (which follow the GEM regional and global models) have been consistent with the GFS, as both have been showing this frigid cold weather leaving the region for a couple of days before another Arctic system returns on the weekend. Although one can never trust the long-range forecasts of the GFS it currently has been showing this extreme cold hovering over the area for at least 8 straight days, with a potential for yet another and yet more intense system before the end of the month.

I will continue to monitor this situation and report anymore insane high or low temperatures reached across the prairies over the coming weeks...

Christmas Eve Frost

Back on Christmas Eve I received a pleasant surprise when I awoke in the morning: everything covered with a thick layer of frost. These photos are exclusive to my blog and are not found anywhere else!

2010 Review

I'd like to start my blog by posting some of my top photos from 2010..
It was a very active year here on the Saskatchewan prairies, with several tornado warnings in an area that rarely sees them.
I also spotted around 20 funnels clouds (though most brief), the most I've ever seen as a stormchaser in one year.

June 4, 2010:



June 25, 2010:



June 26, 2010




July 1, 2010:


July 13th, 2010:


July 17, 2010:

Look at the image below carefully, at an angle: it is a large lightning strike with several bolts!


August 8, 2010:


September 5, 2010: