Prairie crop stress figures to increase dramatically in the coming days, with temperatures in some pockets forecast to climb near 40 degrees C this weekend and into the middle of next week.
As can be seen on the map below, crops in large portions of Western Canada are already under heavy stress (shown in dark red), particularly in areas of Manitoba and southeastern Saskatchewan. The map shows where vegetation is stressed due to lack of water, averaged over the last four weeks. The information highlights where evapotranspiration or loss of water from the soil and plant canopies is higher than normal.
Meanwhile, the latest edition of World Weather Inc.’s Canadian Agricultural Weather Prognosticator, released on Wednesday, suggests hot and dry will be a recurring theme this growing season.
Looking ahead to July, meteorologist Drew Lerner said Prairie conditions will remain much the same as in June, featuring periodic bouts of sizzling temperatures followed by a brief reprieve of cooler weather. But with those temperature swings not expected to produce much in the way of rainfall, Lerner warned current dryness and crop stress may only intensify further.
“The first half of July will be equally dry to that of June and with temperatures running warmer than usual it will be very difficult to get any area to receive enough rain to bolster soil moisture in a lasting manner,” he wrote in the Prognosticator.
“The bottom line remains the same as it has been all spring; that summer weather is going to be a real challenge for much of the Prairies, northern US Plains and upper Midwest because of dryness and bouts of heat.”
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