Kristen Villebrun and Wendy Bush hoped they wouldn't have to pray for Chedoke Creek, but four years after they first raised alarm about the water's condition, they were part of an Indigenous full moon ceremony to do just that. About 50 people showed up near Princess Point on the dark and frigid Monday evening for the monthly ceremony, which was particularly special as it focused on Chedoke Creek. The body of water that runs into Cootes Paradise had about 24 billion litres of sewage and storm water runoff leak into it due to a gate being left open.
Whether you call them cobra chickens or Canadian geese, one thing’s for sure — they’re still here. Well, at least the lot that haven’t taken off after the snowstorms Manitoba has had. Barret Miller, program manager for Winnipeg’s FortWhyte Alive wildlife preserve, said some geese don’t leave Manitoba until they absolutely have to.
On Monday, the park received up to 100 mm of precipitation in some areas, falling as both snow and rain. The high-elevation areas, such as the Skyline trail, received an estimated snow accumulation of up to 70 cm, while lower elevations experienced lesser amounts. The heavy snowfall resulted in widespread tree damage, making travel conditions on trails challenging and, in some cases, impassable, with Parks Canada having to rescue dozens of people who were left stranded in some areas.
Flood watches remain in place for the McLeod River and Athabasca River at Whitecourt. Water levels on the two rivers are expected to peak Tuesday evening, putting low-lying areas of Whitecourt at risk. Jasper National Park has also been hit hard by recent rain and snow, resulting in road and trail closures and treacherous conditions. In a statement Monday officials said 100 mm of rain and 55 centimetres of snow had fallen in some locations and Maligne and Miette roads have been closed.
One of the few amphibians that can survive the harsh winter conditions of boreal and subarctic areas is the wood frog, a prime example of organisms poised to feel the effects of climate change in the region. But these frogs need up to two months to develop from tadpoles and grow before the onset of summer. As the changing climate in the region shortens the window of time between snowmelt and the beginning of summer, frogs may be smaller when they emerge.
It has been a divided month weather-wise throughout April. Most of the month featured a blocking pattern that led to relentless clouds, fog, and drizzle for eastern Newfoundland, with fair conditions in other parts of that province and for most of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. There is one common trend across the entire region, though — it’s dry. How dry? While we have a few days left to add to these numbers, there’s little precipitation ahead for Atlantic Canada to finish the month.
Lately, business is up. Amid two decades of drought, cloud seeding — using airplanes or ground equipment to waft rain-and-snow-making particles into clouds — is on the rise in the Rockies. Colorado has added three new programs in the last five years. Wyoming, which began seeding in 2014, added an aerial program in 2018. Utah has steadily increased its fleet of cloud seeding equipment, and the state legislature just approved record funding to further expand programs and research.
Residents in Goulais have taken to social media to share photos of this week’s significant flooding that has taken place in the area. Warmer weekend temperatures and some rainfall to start the work week has melted much of the remaining snow, leaving some roadways in the Goulais area inaccessible. According to the Government of Canada’s hydrometric data research, the latest water level measurements taken from Goulais River near Kirby’s Corner appear to have peaked today and those numbers are slowly beginning to fall.
People in Winnipeg started stocking up on sandbags on Monday, on the first day the city made them available for those expecting or experiencing overland flooding. For Gino Mallari, it was the first time seeing the spring snow melt as the recent owner of a new house. "There is a big pool at our back lane and I'm worried that it's gonna get into the garage. So [I'm] hoping to, you know, prevent the water from coming into my backyard," Mallari said as he picked up some sandbags, adding that he's expecting that pool to get even bigger as the snow continues to melt.
Water levels fell so low in key reservoirs during the depth of California's drought that boat docks sat on dry, cracked land and cars drove into the centre of what should have been Folsom Lake. Those scenes are no more after a series of powerful storms dumped record amounts of rain and snow across California, replenishing reservoirs and bringing an end — mostly — to the state's three-year drought.
Virtually every snowflake that falls on Fortress Mountain in the Kananaskis region is recorded and watched. "We're in a time when we get extreme weather and a changing climate," said John Pomeroy, director of the University of Saskatchewan's Centre for Hydrology. "We try to follow every drop of water, every flake of snow, and see where it's going." The Centre for Hydrology's Coldwater laboratory is made up of stations with instruments placed on the ridges, glaciers, valleys, and creeks in the Alberta Rockies.
Climate change is causing mild winter temperatures to become more frequent across the country, one extreme weather expert says. Parts of southern Ontario have seen unseasonably warm temperatures and rainfall warnings in recent days, with some local conservation authorities warning the public to stay away from waterways as water levels are expected to rise due to rain and melting snow.
“I’m still processing. Getting this award is really exciting,” said Kahan. “People who have won this award in the past are people whom I greatly admire. Being put in the same category as them is validating and really important recognition by my peers.” As the winner, she will present a keynote lecture at CIC’s Canadian Chemistry Conference and Exhibition (CSC 2023) in Vancouver in early June.
Some parts of the Arctic don't look very polar anymore. Many regions are likely transforming from snowfall- to rainfall-dominant climates, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. "At the fringes, the transition is essentially occurring already," John Walsh, chief scientist at the International Arctic Research Center at the University of Alaska Fairbanks, said in a briefing at the fall meeting of the American Geophysical Union on Tuesday.
Yukoners can expect to see a significant increase in precipitation in the next 50 years, according to the territory's latest environmental report. The 2022 state of the environment interim report, published on Monday by the Yukon government, estimates annual precipitation could rise by almost 17 per cent before 2072. The data reflects a similar trend on annual temperatures, which have increased by 2.2 C over the last 50 years — with winter temperatures increasing by almost 5 C. "Our environment is changing due to climate change impacts and a growing population," Yukon Environment Minister Nils Clarke said in a press release on Monday.
With rain and snow forecast for British Columbia, it's finally time to bid goodbye to the province's long dry spell. Environment Canada is calling for just under 10 millimetres of rain in the Fraser Valley and about seven millimetres on parts of eastern Vancouver Island by early Saturday, but parched areas of the Sunshine Coast will have to wait a little longer for relief.
Farmers and other producers in southwest Saskatchewan are experiencing dry fall weather. The lack of rain in some areas is causing "moderate to severe on-site water shortages," according to the latest provincial crop report. "It's just setting us up again for a questionable start for next spring," Garner Deobald, the president of the Saskatchewan Stock Growers Association, said. Deobald said most places have seen below average snowfall for the last three or four years. He said the Ministry of Agriculture needs to monitor water quality.
Friday the 13th was a weird weather day for Canada, with provinces experiencing everything from a record-breaking heat to spring snow, flooding and wildfires. In southwestern Quebec and eastern Ontario, spring sizzled away as the thermometer hit 30 degrees or more in cities like Ottawa and Montreal. The summer-like heat has set temperature records in Montreal and the nation’s capital over the past three days and is expected to last into the weekend, with showers possibly moving in on Saturday night and Sunday.
Manitoba's flood forecasters are keeping an eye on a spring storm that the province says could dump 30 to 80 centimetres of snow on southern Manitoba in the next week. In a Saturday flood bulletin, the province said the system may result in a mix of snow and rain between Tuesday and Friday. Temperatures are forecast to drop to below freezing by Wednesday and remain below freezing until April 19 in most locations, the province said. Runoff from the forecast precipitation is not expected to start before April 20, according to the bulletin.
As southern Manitoba remains enveloped in freezing temperatures and seemingly endless snow flurries, there's another "F" word that keeps coming to mind — flooding. The province's Hydrologic Forecast Centre released its first flood outlook for the season on Friday and is predicting major flows along the Red River and its tributaries, including the Roseau, Rat and Pembina rivers.
A series of blizzards continued to batter the hamlet of Clyde River, Nunavut, on Friday — hampering municipal services and prompting the hamlet to declare a state of emergency. The community has been dealing with huge amounts of snow since at least January, when a week-long blizzard shut down roads and access to peoples' homes. It's a huge problem for a community that relies on trucked water and sewer services.
