Rethinking Lifestyle

After the coldest winter for more than 100 years, I am sure we are all pleased to see summer finally approaching. Spring has been a bit of a challenge with temperatures 10C below normal and 10C above normal within days of one another. At least with the warmer weather the farmers can get out and sow crops to make the most of the prairie sun. And there is lots of activity in the gardens.

So, was it climate change that caused the cooler temperatures?

That’s one of the complicated parts about defining climate change – natural weather events, and ocean currents also impact our weather systems. The polar vortex was the talk of winter, and now the weather forecasters and ocean scientists are talking about a major El Niño event.

What is El Niño, I hear you ask?

An El Niño – Spanish for “little boy” – event occurs when warm water near Indonesia moves to the eastern Pacific. The effect of this change in ocean temperatures is felt far and wide  –  and not in the same way globally.

If there is a major El Niño event, it would bring significant weather pattern changes across North America – a warm dry winter in Western Canada, high snowfall and ice storms in Atlantic Canada. It will also likely bring record rainfall throughout the year meaning more floods and landslides (imagine more Canmore events).

With long-term climate the trends across North America showing significant warming and more drought events, the extra rain could be seen as a blessing (especially in drought stricken California). But in the southern hemisphere more extreme drought can be expected.

Overlaying the uncertainty of this extreme weather event, the climatologists are starting to see changes in our climate patterns. Warming in northern Canada is becoming more significant, and is likely to affect many activities of northern communities. But of more significance for us in the Prairies is the change in the precipitation. For years, all our flood forecasting and agricultural models have been based on a model in which 80% of our precipitation comes in the form of snow – hence the big effort to manage the melt every year. With 20% precipitation coming from rainfall throughout the year.

However, the latest model to come out of the Global Institute for Water Security at University of Saskatchewan, shows a different picture, and one we are not really prepared for. The new predictions are for precipitation closer to 50% snow, 50% rain. Imagine more rain events like that which hit Steinbach on Sunday. The infrastructure didn’t cope then. Steinbach relies on large ditches to hold water, but in a level landscape they do not flow fast enough, or have the capacity to manage an event. Steinbach needs a different approach to water management – and the coming year is likely to highlight this need.

What does this mean for you?

Well, obviously flooded roads and infrastructure is an inconvenience, but you can do your bit too. Think about how water gets off your property. Do you have the space to capture it in a rain garden?

A rain garden? Yes, a garden that is constructed to flourish on rainwater. And you can get help to build one in the form of a grant from the local Conservation District. Check it out online.