Abnormal dryness and drought worsened across central Canada in September amid continued below normal precipitation.
According to the latest monthly update of the Canadian Drought Monitor, 97% of the agricultural lands in the Central Region – which includes both Ontario and Quebec – were classified as abnormally dry or in some form of drought by the end of the month.
That compares to 84% at the end of August and is up sharply from just 34% in July, 20% in June, and a mere 1% in May.
Most of Ontario and Quebec received less than 60% of normal monthly precipitation in September, with some areas in northwestern and eastern Ontario, as well as eastern Quebec, including the Gaspé Region, receiving less than 40% of normal precipitation. Near normal precipitation was limited to areas around Toronto and areas south of Montreal.
Back in August, southern Ontario precipitation totals amounted to just 40–85% of normal, with some of the driest readings in Bancroft and Simcoe County, where rainfall was below 40% of average.
Abnormally dry and moderate drought conditions expanded in southern Ontario in September. Eastern Ontario saw the expansion of severe drought, while three new pockets of extreme drought developed north of Orilla, north of Peterborough and from Kingston towards Ottawa.
“Eastern Ontario faced critically low water supplies, prompting Level 3 low-water advisories across several watersheds and urging residents to reduce their water use by half,” the monitor said.
Farmers reported major drought impacts in September, including a reduction of pumpkin yields by as much as 70% and reduced apple crops. Irrigated and deep-rooted orchards fared better, but corn and other crops suffered from the hot, dry summer, it added.
Late September rain did provide some brief relief, the monitor said, “though soil moisture remains too low for seedling fall crops.”
