It could .Mild fall with fewer storms could end with abrupt wintry switch: Weather Network
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Jordan Omstead
Published Sep 10, 2025 • 4 minute read
The dramatic start to Canada’s fall weather will give way to mild temperatures in the middle of the season, the Weather Network’s seasonal forecast suggests, but not before a possibly abrupt transition into early winter.
Record-breaking heat in British Columbia and early shots of cold weather in Central and Eastern Canada have already provided some “dramatic contrast” this month, said the network’s senior meteorologist Doug Gillham.
From mid-September through October, most of Canada is expected to “hit the pause button” on those temperature extremes, he said. Warmer-than-normal temperatures are expected to dominate with fewer storms through the heart of the season.
“It just means that in the temperature roller-coaster that’s normal with the season, that the milder periods will outweigh the periods of cooler weather,” said Gillham.
“That’ll give most Canadians some great stretches of weather to get outside and enjoy our fall foliage and enjoy outdoor activities.”
Those mild temperatures are expected to give way to a more active and changeable conditions in November, typical of late fall. Storms will be expected to bring precipitation levels up to near normal for most of Canada, according to The Weather Network’s seasonal forecast for the months of September, October and November.
Some areas could wind up a bit wetter than normal, primarily Northern Canada, the B.C. coast and a swath of northeastern Ontario through to central Quebec and Labrador, the forecast said.
“So, kind of a wild start, (then) we hit the pause button, get some mild quieter weather in the middle before we have a more typical finish to the season,” Gillham said.
The near-normal precipitation forecast will likely come as welcome news to parched parts of the northern Prairies where drought conditions have persisted through the summer, said Gillham.
Yet, the “biggest question mark” on the season’s precipitation forecast may be Atlantic Canada, Gillham said. Most of the region has been exceptionally dry and the forecast is calling for fewer fall storms there too.
“The wild card there though is the tropics,” said Gillham.
The second half of hurricane season could bring more activity in late September and early October, Gillham said. It looks like Florida will be the primary target and cooler waters in the North Atlantic Ocean compared to recent years could help weaken storms as they approach the Canadian coast, he said.
“But again, we’re not going to let our guard down in Atlantic Canada. We know it only takes one system to have a significant impact on the region,” he said.
After a chilly start to September, Ontario and Quebec are expected to see some warmer-than-normal temperatures before storm activity picks up again in November, the forecast suggests.
A similar story is shaping up in the Prairies. Shots of cold weather may interrupt otherwise extended periods of pleasant fall weather, the forecast says, but a flip to a colder and active pattern in November will set up a strong start to winter across the region, the forecast suggests.
Wildfire smoke will still be a concern for a few more weeks in Western Canada until the rainy season gets underway. While temperatures will start to drop off over the next couple of weeks, it will still be warmer than normal through the end of September and into early October, and any rain between now and then will likely be insufficient to significantly bring down the fire danger, Gillham said.
Meanwhile, the recent B.C. heat will give way to near-normal temperatures in that province as the season progresses, the forecast says. A typical number of fall storms and rainy days are in the forecast, but the coast could end up with above-normal precipitation because of the warm waters along the northern Pacific coast, Gillham said.
“I wouldn’t classify it as more stormy than normal but the storms that come have a higher risk to bring excessive rain,” he said.
“Hopefully we can avoid the flooding and just get the beneficial rain and alpine snow.”
Those warm waters in the northern Pacific Ocean are helping to push north the jet stream, the band of high-altitude winds circling the globe and acting as a boundary between cold arctic air and lower latitudes. The more northern jet stream position is part of what’s informing the forecast of a quieter and warmer heart of the fall season, Gillham said.
But “we can’t hold off the season forever,” Gillham said, and as the jet stream gradually shifts south, so too will the storm track.
“That’s why we expect more of an active November. More shots of arctic air will be showing up,” said Gillham.
The forecast is calling for near normal precipitation across most of Yukon and the Northwest Territories, with above-normal precipitation for much of Nunavut, Gillham said. Most of Northern Canada will see above-normal temperatures for the season, he said.
Climate change, driven by the burning of fossil fuels, has also shifted what meteorologists consider normal across Canada. The forecasts of above- or below-normal temperatures and precipitation are based on average conditions over roughly the past 30 years.
Yet, autumn average temperatures have increased by 2.4 degrees since 1948 across Canada, federal data suggests.
Mild fall with fewer storms could end with abrupt wintry switch: Weather Network
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Drought and heat frightening farmers
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Hina Alam
Published Sep 13, 2025 • 4 minute read
Greg MacKenzie, owner of MacKenzie Produce in Stratford, P.E.I., poses with pumpkins at his farm in this undated handout photo.
Greg MacKenzie, owner of MacKenzie Produce in Stratford, P.E.I., poses with pumpkins at his farm in this undated handout photo. Photo by Handout - Greg MacKenzie /THE CANADIAN PRESS
FREDERICTON — The pumpkin patches on a number of Canadian farms are starting to look a bit frightening across the country, but not in a way that makes them ready for Halloween.
“It’s sure been a spooky season,” said Greg MacKenzie, the owner of Mackenzie Produce in Stratford, P.E.I.
He said his own farm has a reduced yield of pumpkins this year. A number of vines have died off and the jumbo-sized orange fruit does not weigh as much as it should, he said.
Most of them might be too small to harvest this year, he added, which could cut into how much he is able to export to the United States.
“Normally we count on September rains to kind of save us,” MacKenzie said. “If we don’t see something in the next couple weeks, it’s going to be pretty hard to make it up.”
MacKenzie isn’t alone. Across Canada, some farmers have shared similar stories with The Canadian Press, explaining that drought and extreme heat are cutting into the size and supply of pumpkins that are usually carved into jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween or frozen and canned for food.
“We’re watching very closely every week just to see how things are progressing,” Mackenzie said “It’s a fine line of, you know, treading water at this point, but with no water to tread.”
There were few regions spared from this season’s punishing drought.
The Canadian Drought Monitor for August said about 71 per cent of the country was classified as abnormally dry or moderate to extreme aridity, including 70 per cent of Canada’s farmland.
The unusual weather patterns could be a troubling sign of more problems in the future.
In a recent assessment of the latest scientific research, the Canadian Climate Institute notes that global warming is increasing the risk and severity of droughts in parts of the country that are already struggling to cope with water shortages.
Citing recent data from Statistics Canada, the institute also says droughts were a significant factor in driving a surge in crop insurance payments to farmers in recent years, as the payouts rose from $890 million in 2018 to $4.9 billion in 2024.
The severity of the drought in central Alberta has turned most of the grass and greenery a muddy shade of brown, Mike Williams of Ponoka, Alta., said.
He explained he began watering the parched soil on his farm to get it ready in May, a few weeks before he planted a crop of pumpkins and squash.
“I’ve been hauling water,” he said. “I hauled almost 300,000 litres of water … since around May.”
While last year was mostly a writeoff, he said he is “feeling better” about the crop this year with some of the pumpkins weighing between 30 and 40 pounds.
Roy Phillips, owner of the Phillips’ Family Farm, in northwest London, who grows pumpkins, gourds and squash, said the season has delivered a mixed bag of weather, with rain in the first few months, followed by six weeks of dry weather. “Oh, it’s kind of weird, but it’s been a crazy season all year,” he said.
Because Phillips grows his crop on clay soil rather than sandy land, he said his farm retains water better than most others, which has helped his pumpkins.
“It’s not my best crop, but some stuff is really good,” he said. “The pumpkins are very good quality.”
He said he grows a variety of crops, including different types of squash and pumpkins, with a variety of colours and some have turned out well. But he also noted that the mixed weather patterns have reduced the number and size of his pumpkins.
Donna Warner of Warner Ranch and Pumpkin Farm in Niagara Falls, Ont., became emotional as she spoke about how difficult the season has been this year with heat and drought affecting her crop.
In the 30 years that Warner has been a pumpkin farmer, she said this year has been the worst ever. She said that the plants weren’t producing enough female flowers, even after they were irrigated.
“The plants were heat stressed,” she said. “Without female flowers, you don’t get a pumpkin… A plant won’t produce a female flower unless the conditions are right.”
While the quality is good, Warner said the yield is down about 70 per cent and the pumpkins are smaller. Her farm doesn’t have jumbo pumpkins this year.
She said she was out in the field on Wednesday afternoon and she “felt like throwing up” when she looked around.
“It’s so much money and so much work.”
Danny Dill, owner of Howard Dill Enterprises, in Windsor, N.S., said the high temperatures started up in June and didn’t let up all through.
“It’s been terrible. I mean, the worst,” he said. “We didn’t even really have any water to irrigate. We’ve been in an oven since the first of June.”
And it’s not just pumpkins that are affected but other crops too, including squash, he said. People are buying up squash in large quantities to freeze and store for the winter, he added.
Dill said he is waiting a few days to see if there will be any rain so the pumpkins can perhaps grow. But he’s not holding out hope.
“Honestly, you know, the last 10 years, I’ve never seen such dramatic shifts in the weather from one year to another,” he said. “Two years ago, we were flooded out. We just went 360 degrees from one extreme into the other. There is no normal growing season, or if there is, we may get one every maybe six years. Maybe.”
He paused.
Mother Nature has messed with the jack-o’-lanterns this year and they are more “sketchy” than spooky, Dill said with a chuckle. “Like Casper the Friendly Ghost.”
Then he riffed on the popular song from the ‘Ghostbusters’ movie: “There’s something strange in the pumpkin fields. Who you gonna call?”
torontosun.com
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Hina Alam
Published Sep 13, 2025 • 4 minute read
Greg MacKenzie, owner of MacKenzie Produce in Stratford, P.E.I., poses with pumpkins at his farm in this undated handout photo.
Greg MacKenzie, owner of MacKenzie Produce in Stratford, P.E.I., poses with pumpkins at his farm in this undated handout photo. Photo by Handout - Greg MacKenzie /THE CANADIAN PRESS
FREDERICTON — The pumpkin patches on a number of Canadian farms are starting to look a bit frightening across the country, but not in a way that makes them ready for Halloween.
“It’s sure been a spooky season,” said Greg MacKenzie, the owner of Mackenzie Produce in Stratford, P.E.I.
He said his own farm has a reduced yield of pumpkins this year. A number of vines have died off and the jumbo-sized orange fruit does not weigh as much as it should, he said.
Most of them might be too small to harvest this year, he added, which could cut into how much he is able to export to the United States.
“Normally we count on September rains to kind of save us,” MacKenzie said. “If we don’t see something in the next couple weeks, it’s going to be pretty hard to make it up.”
MacKenzie isn’t alone. Across Canada, some farmers have shared similar stories with The Canadian Press, explaining that drought and extreme heat are cutting into the size and supply of pumpkins that are usually carved into jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween or frozen and canned for food.
“We’re watching very closely every week just to see how things are progressing,” Mackenzie said “It’s a fine line of, you know, treading water at this point, but with no water to tread.”
There were few regions spared from this season’s punishing drought.
The Canadian Drought Monitor for August said about 71 per cent of the country was classified as abnormally dry or moderate to extreme aridity, including 70 per cent of Canada’s farmland.
The unusual weather patterns could be a troubling sign of more problems in the future.
In a recent assessment of the latest scientific research, the Canadian Climate Institute notes that global warming is increasing the risk and severity of droughts in parts of the country that are already struggling to cope with water shortages.
Citing recent data from Statistics Canada, the institute also says droughts were a significant factor in driving a surge in crop insurance payments to farmers in recent years, as the payouts rose from $890 million in 2018 to $4.9 billion in 2024.
The severity of the drought in central Alberta has turned most of the grass and greenery a muddy shade of brown, Mike Williams of Ponoka, Alta., said.
He explained he began watering the parched soil on his farm to get it ready in May, a few weeks before he planted a crop of pumpkins and squash.
“I’ve been hauling water,” he said. “I hauled almost 300,000 litres of water … since around May.”
While last year was mostly a writeoff, he said he is “feeling better” about the crop this year with some of the pumpkins weighing between 30 and 40 pounds.
Roy Phillips, owner of the Phillips’ Family Farm, in northwest London, who grows pumpkins, gourds and squash, said the season has delivered a mixed bag of weather, with rain in the first few months, followed by six weeks of dry weather. “Oh, it’s kind of weird, but it’s been a crazy season all year,” he said.
Because Phillips grows his crop on clay soil rather than sandy land, he said his farm retains water better than most others, which has helped his pumpkins.
“It’s not my best crop, but some stuff is really good,” he said. “The pumpkins are very good quality.”
He said he grows a variety of crops, including different types of squash and pumpkins, with a variety of colours and some have turned out well. But he also noted that the mixed weather patterns have reduced the number and size of his pumpkins.
Donna Warner of Warner Ranch and Pumpkin Farm in Niagara Falls, Ont., became emotional as she spoke about how difficult the season has been this year with heat and drought affecting her crop.
In the 30 years that Warner has been a pumpkin farmer, she said this year has been the worst ever. She said that the plants weren’t producing enough female flowers, even after they were irrigated.
“The plants were heat stressed,” she said. “Without female flowers, you don’t get a pumpkin… A plant won’t produce a female flower unless the conditions are right.”
While the quality is good, Warner said the yield is down about 70 per cent and the pumpkins are smaller. Her farm doesn’t have jumbo pumpkins this year.
She said she was out in the field on Wednesday afternoon and she “felt like throwing up” when she looked around.
“It’s so much money and so much work.”
Danny Dill, owner of Howard Dill Enterprises, in Windsor, N.S., said the high temperatures started up in June and didn’t let up all through.
“It’s been terrible. I mean, the worst,” he said. “We didn’t even really have any water to irrigate. We’ve been in an oven since the first of June.”
And it’s not just pumpkins that are affected but other crops too, including squash, he said. People are buying up squash in large quantities to freeze and store for the winter, he added.
Dill said he is waiting a few days to see if there will be any rain so the pumpkins can perhaps grow. But he’s not holding out hope.
“Honestly, you know, the last 10 years, I’ve never seen such dramatic shifts in the weather from one year to another,” he said. “Two years ago, we were flooded out. We just went 360 degrees from one extreme into the other. There is no normal growing season, or if there is, we may get one every maybe six years. Maybe.”
He paused.
Mother Nature has messed with the jack-o’-lanterns this year and they are more “sketchy” than spooky, Dill said with a chuckle. “Like Casper the Friendly Ghost.”
Then he riffed on the popular song from the ‘Ghostbusters’ movie: “There’s something strange in the pumpkin fields. Who you gonna call?”
’There’s something strange in the pumpkin fields.’ Drought and heat frightening farmers
The pumpkin patches on a number of Canadian farms are starting to look a bit frightening across the country.
Drought and heat frightening farmers
Author of the article:Canadian Press
Canadian Press
Hina Alam
Published Sep 13, 2025 • 4 minute read
Greg MacKenzie, owner of MacKenzie Produce in Stratford, P.E.I., poses with pumpkins at his farm in this undated handout photo.
Greg MacKenzie, owner of MacKenzie Produce in Stratford, P.E.I., poses with pumpkins at his farm in this undated handout photo. Photo by Handout - Greg MacKenzie /THE CANADIAN PRESS
FREDERICTON — The pumpkin patches on a number of Canadian farms are starting to look a bit frightening across the country, but not in a way that makes them ready for Halloween.
“It’s sure been a spooky season,” said Greg MacKenzie, the owner of Mackenzie Produce in Stratford, P.E.I.
He said his own farm has a reduced yield of pumpkins this year. A number of vines have died off and the jumbo-sized orange fruit does not weigh as much as it should, he said.
Most of them might be too small to harvest this year, he added, which could cut into how much he is able to export to the United States.
“Normally we count on September rains to kind of save us,” MacKenzie said. “If we don’t see something in the next couple weeks, it’s going to be pretty hard to make it up.”
MacKenzie isn’t alone. Across Canada, some farmers have shared similar stories with The Canadian Press, explaining that drought and extreme heat are cutting into the size and supply of pumpkins that are usually carved into jack-o’-lanterns for Halloween or frozen and canned for food.
“We’re watching very closely every week just to see how things are progressing,” Mackenzie said “It’s a fine line of, you know, treading water at this point, but with no water to tread.”
There were few regions spared from this season’s punishing drought.
The Canadian Drought Monitor for August said about 71 per cent of the country was classified as abnormally dry or moderate to extreme aridity, including 70 per cent of Canada’s farmland.
The unusual weather patterns could be a troubling sign of more problems in the future.
In a recent assessment of the latest scientific research, the Canadian Climate Institute notes that global warming is increasing the risk and severity of droughts in parts of the country that are already struggling to cope with water shortages.
Citing recent data from Statistics Canada, the institute also says droughts were a significant factor in driving a surge in crop insurance payments to farmers in recent years, as the payouts rose from $890 million in 2018 to $4.9 billion in 2024.
The severity of the drought in central Alberta has turned most of the grass and greenery a muddy shade of brown, Mike Williams of Ponoka, Alta., said.
He explained he began watering the parched soil on his farm to get it ready in May, a few weeks before he planted a crop of pumpkins and squash.
“I’ve been hauling water,” he said. “I hauled almost 300,000 litres of water … since around May.”
While last year was mostly a writeoff, he said he is “feeling better” about the crop this year with some of the pumpkins weighing between 30 and 40 pounds.
Roy Phillips, owner of the Phillips’ Family Farm, in northwest London, who grows pumpkins, gourds and squash, said the season has delivered a mixed bag of weather, with rain in the first few months, followed by six weeks of dry weather. “Oh, it’s kind of weird, but it’s been a crazy season all year,” he said.
Because Phillips grows his crop on clay soil rather than sandy land, he said his farm retains water better than most others, which has helped his pumpkins.
“It’s not my best crop, but some stuff is really good,” he said. “The pumpkins are very good quality.”
He said he grows a variety of crops, including different types of squash and pumpkins, with a variety of colours and some have turned out well. But he also noted that the mixed weather patterns have reduced the number and size of his pumpkins.
Donna Warner of Warner Ranch and Pumpkin Farm in Niagara Falls, Ont., became emotional as she spoke about how difficult the season has been this year with heat and drought affecting her crop.
In the 30 years that Warner has been a pumpkin farmer, she said this year has been the worst ever. She said that the plants weren’t producing enough female flowers, even after they were irrigated.
“The plants were heat stressed,” she said. “Without female flowers, you don’t get a pumpkin… A plant won’t produce a female flower unless the conditions are right.”
While the quality is good, Warner said the yield is down about 70 per cent and the pumpkins are smaller. Her farm doesn’t have jumbo pumpkins this year.
She said she was out in the field on Wednesday afternoon and she “felt like throwing up” when she looked around.
“It’s so much money and so much work.”
Danny Dill, owner of Howard Dill Enterprises, in Windsor, N.S., said the high temperatures started up in June and didn’t let up all through.
“It’s been terrible. I mean, the worst,” he said. “We didn’t even really have any water to irrigate. We’ve been in an oven since the first of June.”
And it’s not just pumpkins that are affected but other crops too, including squash, he said. People are buying up squash in large quantities to freeze and store for the winter, he added.
Dill said he is waiting a few days to see if there will be any rain so the pumpkins can perhaps grow. But he’s not holding out hope.
“Honestly, you know, the last 10 years, I’ve never seen such dramatic shifts in the weather from one year to another,” he said. “Two years ago, we were flooded out. We just went 360 degrees from one extreme into the other. There is no normal growing season, or if there is, we may get one every maybe six years. Maybe.”
He paused.
Mother Nature has messed with the jack-o’-lanterns this year and they are more “sketchy” than spooky, Dill said with a chuckle. “Like Casper the Friendly Ghost.”
Then he riffed on the popular song from the ‘Ghostbusters’ movie: “There’s something strange in the pumpkin fields. Who you gonna call?”
’There’s something strange in the pumpkin fields.’ Drought and heat frightening farmers
The pumpkin patches on a number of Canadian farms are starting to look a bit frightening across the country.