Following a mostly dry and hot month of July that dented production prospects in parts of Alberta and Saskatchewan, August rainfall has generally been more plentiful across the Prairies.
As can be seen on the monthly maps below, most of Alberta saw a marked improvement in precipitation in August, although things remained extremely dry in the southeastern corner of the province, as well as the western part of the Peace River region. Conditions also remained dry across a large portion of western Saskatchewan, but there has been significant relief in the southeast.
In contrast, southeastern Manitoba has seen relatively drier weather in August compared to July.
Thursday’s Saskatchewan crop report said recent moisture has helped improve topsoil moisture conditions across some areas of the province. As of Aug. 19, cropland topsoil moisture across the province was rated 35% adequate, 41% short and 24% very short versus 29% adequate, 48% short and 23% very short a week earlier. Last year, Saskatchewan cropland moisture was rated 32% adequate, 41% short and 27% very short.
In Alberta, surface soil moisture was rated 27% poor as of Aug. 20, down 2 points from the previous week and 3 points below a year earlier.
Meanwhile, a storm system moving west to east across the Prairies Wednesday and Thursday of this week is expected to add to August’s precipitation totals. According to World Weather, portions of Alberta and northwestern Saskatchewan are forecast to see amounts of more than 25 mm, while pockets of northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba will also see “significant” rain due to thunderstorms.
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