Drought gone in Manitoba but worsening in Alberta, AAFC reports

MarketsFarm — Record-breaking precipitation in southern Manitoba and eastern Saskatchewan helped improve moisture conditions in the region in April, taking much of the area out of the drought classification, according to the latest Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada (AAFC) for the period ended April 30.

Two separate Colorado lows brought significant snow, rain and below-normal temperatures to southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba of the last half of April.

“These storm systems, along with good winter snow cover resulted in saturated soils and significant flooding in the Red River Valley and parts of the Interlake region,” AAFC said.

But the western Prairies missed out on most of the precipitation, which led to expanding drought conditions in parts of southern Alberta.

“Southern Alberta experienced the greatest drought degradation in April,” AAFC said, adding that “less than 40 per cent of normal precipitation fell this month, exacerbating the already dry conditions experienced over the last six months.”

An estimated 29 per cent of the Prairies was rated as abnormally dry or in moderate to extreme drought, including 63 per cent of the region’s agricultural areas.

“Despite significant improvement in moisture conditions through much of the eastern Prairies, long-term impacts from last summer’s drought continue to impact vegetation and the agricultural communities,” said AAFC.