Weather never seems to co-operate when needed most

Like many in Atlantic Canada, I am closely watching the wildfire situation.

Much like the weather, these wildfires aren’t impacting everyone equally. Life continues as normal in most communities, perhaps with more caution.

While many of us are not directly impacted by these fires, we are almost guaranteed to know someone impacted by them – whether it is someone who evacuated, lost their home or is fighting the blazes.

The weather for the last several weeks has been a delicate balancing act. Most of us have been looking for warmer weather during what’s been a cool spring, but we also know that seasonal rainfall has been below average over much of Atlantic Canada.

Mother Nature doesn’t conform to our demands, and it often seems that the weather never cooperates in situations like this. This isn’t a scientific observation, but it often rings true. Events like this can unfold under circumstances where the weather pattern doesn’t change much.

The truth is Mother Nature has been setting the stage for events like this for several weeks.

Seasonal snowfall and springtime rainfall have been below average in much of the region. The cool weather that some provinces have experienced also wasn’t accompanied by much rainfall when you look at the numbers.

We also know how windy it has been the last several weeks, something I’ve heard a lot from readers across the region. Strong winds are the perfect ingredient to fuel wildfires.

We’re all hoping and praying for rain, and there are encouraging signs in the forecast beginning later Friday and continuing into next week. Perhaps Mother Nature is finally listening to us?

But let’s keep hoping that it’s enough to help the hardworking crews fighting these fires and alleviate the extremely dry conditions.

We want sunshine and warmth but need all the rain we can get.