After marked improvement in September, much of Western Canada turned much drier again in October.
As shown on the map below, the Peace River area was the only area to see near to above normal precipitation during the month, with the bulk of the remaining Prairie seeing less than 40% of normal amounts, especially across the more southern locations.
Released over the past week, the final Saskatchewan and Alberta crop reports for the 2024 growing season do show an improvement in soil moisture conditions from this time last year, although with the 2024 harvest now in the bin many farmers would still certainly welcome more rainfall.
In Saskatchewan, cropland topsoil moisture was rated 49% adequate, 44% short and 7% very short as of Monday, versus 31% adequate, 44% short and 25% very short last year. Meanwhile, Alberta surface soil moisture was rated 46% good to excellent, an increase of 16 points from last year.
“The good harvest weather (in October) was welcome by all, but the lack of rain has left drought and abnormally dry conditions in much of the Prairies from eastern and southern Alberta through most of Saskatchewan to portions of Manitoba,” said World Weather’s Canadian Agricultural Weather Prognosticator on Thursday.
“Some areas still have a favorable amount of moisture in the soil for use in the spring, but many others do not.”
The outlook for the next 30-60 days does suggest a gradual increase in precipitation across the Prairies, although with the temperatures dropping the ground freezing, the Prognosticator said soil moisture levels may see limited benefit. Winter precipitation is expected to be near to above normal for Western Canada, but some moisture deficits may still carry into the spring, the Prognosticator added.
The latest monthly update of the Canadian drought monitor showed 42% of Prairie agricultural lands impacted by abnormal dryness or some form of drought as of the end of September. That is down 21 points from the end of August and 45 points below the end of July.
