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rainfall

Storm hitting Atlantic Canada 'very similar' to what struck B.C.: meteorologist

Storm hitting Atlantic Canada 'very similar' to what struck B.C.: meteorologist

“It's a very similar storm,” Bob Robichaud, a senior Environment Canada meteorologist based in Nova Scotia, told CTVNews.ca in a phone interview. “It's the same type of atmospheric setup that would generate this type of rainfall.” He explained that this type of extreme rainfall event, like the one in B.C., occurs when a “very concentrated plume of moisture in the atmosphere that streams up from the tropics” becomes part of a storm.

Antigonish residents told to stay home after heavy rain causes flooding

Antigonish residents told to stay home after heavy rain causes flooding

Residents of Antigonish, N.S., are being warned to stay home after heavy rains have caused flooding and washed out roads. Main Street is flooded and closed between Court and St. Andrew's streets. Chisholm Park and Columbus Field are also closed due to rising water, as well as the Creighton Lane parking lot. The closures remained in effect Tuesday night. Town spokesperson Kate Gorman said around 8 p.m. that while water levels had receded, they were expected to increase later because of the incoming tide.

B.C.'s Fraser Valley is no stranger to floods. Experts warn extreme weather is likely to become more common

B.C.'s Fraser Valley is no stranger to floods. Experts warn extreme weather is likely to become more common

Marilyn Penner, Allan Toop and Nora Weber have spent a combined 170 years living in the eastern Fraser Valley. Toop's and Penner's families have been farming the land for more than three generations, while Weber has lived on the same village corner for well over a decade. All three agreed Monday they've never seen flooding happen the way it did this week.

USask research aims to identify how ‘thirsty’ forests affect water availability

USask research aims to identify how ‘thirsty’ forests affect water availability

University of Saskatchewan (USask) graduate Dr. Magali Nehemy (PhD) and her research team investigated how plants use water — where they get it, when they need it and how these processes impact overall water availability. Understanding the way plants use water can assist farmers to work efficiently and productively. Irrigation schedules and fertilizer applications depend heavily on the amount of water available in the surrounding soil and how efficiently plants can use it.

Do depressions in Canadian prairies hold the key to groundwater recharge?

Do depressions in Canadian prairies hold the key to groundwater recharge?

The water cycle is a delicate balance. In natural settings, water from rainfall or snowmelt can soak into soil or runoff to streams. Some of the water is stored in natural underground reservoirs—called groundwater. Plants use up the water to grow, and then new precipitation refills the groundwater—a process called groundwater recharge. In dry climates, plants use up most of the water that enters the soil. So how does the groundwater get refilled? For Canadian prairies the answer is found in depressions located in the landscape. In these depressions, runoff from the surrounding land accumulates and moves into the groundwater.

A summer of 'desperate' low river levels in central Newfoundland could have lasting impacts: scientist

A summer of 'desperate' low river levels in central Newfoundland could have lasting impacts: scientist

When Craig Purchase visited his normal fishing spot upstream of Terra Nova Lake this past Labour Day weekend, it was clear why angling was off the table. "Where it would normally be waist deep, there was two to three inches of water," Purchase, who's also a professor of biology at Memorial University, said. Bare rocks and trickling brooks have been a common sight through a swath of central Newfoundland this summer, Purchase said.

Collingwood's gutters get first-in-Canada treatment for waste diversion project

Collingwood's gutters get first-in-Canada treatment for waste diversion project

A pilot project currently underway in Collingwood is putting the contents of the town’s gutters under intense scrutiny. Five women spent a day last week meticulously sorting through the contents several buckets of garbage caught in waste traps installed in eight Collingwood storm drains. They were staff working for Georgian Bay Forever, which is the non-profit organization that brought Gutter Bins to Collingwood, along with a few other plastic/waste diversion initiatives aimed at keeping garbage and microplastics out of Georgian Bay.

B.C. residents encouraged to curb water use as drought conditions grow

B.C. residents encouraged to curb water use as drought conditions grow

B.C.’s River Forecast Centre is asking residents and business owners to start curtailing water use, as drought conditions intensify across the province. As of Friday, seven areas were at drought level 4, from southern Vancouver Island to the Kootenays. An additional nine areas, including the Lower and Middle Fraser, were at drought level 3. Local and regional governments make the formal rules around water usage, but the forecast centre manager George Roman said it would be prudent if people start altering their behaviour now.

Heatwaves and drought conditions devastating for southern Alberta farmers

Heatwaves and drought conditions devastating for southern Alberta farmers

Southern Alberta farmers say consistently hot weather combined with little rain in the last few months has been devastating for their crops this year. In July 2020, Kim Owen took a photo of his father Richard Owen standing in one of their fields in Wrentham, Alta., with a crop growing above his waist. On Saturday, Kim snapped another photo of his father in the exact same spot but this time the earth was yellow and dried crops barely grazed Richard's ankles.

No Water No Microchips: What Is Happening In Taiwan?

No Water No Microchips: What Is Happening In Taiwan?

Water wars are no longer from apocalyptic imagery. Something as dramatic is already happening in Taiwan, where a drought is causing chip manufacturers to compete with locals for water use. Starting on June 1, in fact, the country will cut water supply for the major chip making hub Taichung. Because a front brought over 100mm rain since last Sunday, the hub of Hsinchu has not cut off water. This released in part the tension, but the drought crisis is still there and the alert level is rising to its highest.

Dry summer feared for Manitoba, province preparing in case of possible drought

Dry summer feared for Manitoba, province preparing in case of possible drought

The Manitoba government says it's prepared in case of a drought this summer, following a winter where some areas saw record-low snowfall. "While there are no current drought impacts, our government is closely monitoring conditions and increasing its drought readiness," Infrastructure Minister Ron Schuler said Tuesday. Although the province is heading into a period of dry weather, a bit of precipitation will go a long way, he says.

From wastelands to conservation: Why Alberta needs to start thinking about its wetlands

From wastelands to conservation: Why Alberta needs to start thinking about its wetlands

Tuesday marks the 50th anniversary of an international agreement to protect wetlands around the globe, and this may get you thinking what is so important about wetlands. For awhile they were looked at as wastelands, but over the past few decades, science has shown just how important these areas are. Dan Kraus, a senior conservation biologist with the Nature Conservancy of Canada, says wetlands were the first habitat to have been protected through a global agreement.

Water shortage on Salt Spring Island sparks call for change

Water shortage on Salt Spring Island sparks call for change

Since Salt Spring Island's only public laundry facility closed in 2016, resident Cherie Geavreau has wanted to open a new one, but there's a big obstacle in the way. The local authority that regulates and distributes the island's water has placed a moratorium on water usage, and hasn't yet decided whether to allow the larger water pipe that Geavreau needs to run the laundromat efficiently.

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