Ontario’s main agricultural regions ended June free of drought concerns after heavy, uneven rainfall improved soil moisture across much of the province’s farm belt.
The latest Canadian Drought Monitor map, reflecting conditions as of June 30, shows most agricultural areas from southwestern Ontario through the Golden Horseshoe and into eastern Ontario outside any drought classification.
Rainfall varied sharply across Ontario during June, the monitor said. Northern parts of the province received less than 40% of normal precipitation in some areas, but southern Ontario generally recorded above- to well-above-normal totals. Much of that moisture came from large, slow-moving storm systems that delivered intense rainfall over short periods.
St. Catharines set a daily rainfall record on June 14 after receiving 60 mm. Similar heavy storms crossed other agricultural districts.
Temperatures across southern Ontario remained closer to seasonal norms than in northern areas. The region experienced heat during the first half of June, followed by a sharp mid-month cooldown before temperatures rose again toward the end of the month. The earlier heat helped fuel the storm systems responsible for many of the largest rainfall events.
Across the broader central region - which includes Ontario and Quebec - 29% of the land was classified as abnormally dry or in some form of drought at the end of June. However, only 5% of the region’s agricultural landscape was affected.
