Prairie abnormal dryness and drought was relatively little changed in July compared to a month earlier, with improvements in some areas and deterioration in others.
The latest monthly update of the Canadian drought monitor showed 81% of Prairie agricultural lands were being impacted by abnormal dryness or drought as of the end of July. That is down a modest 2 points from the end of June but still above 72% in May and up sharply from 41% in April.
The northern and central Prairies saw exceptionally low precipitation in July, rapidly deepening drought in those regions, the monitor said. On the other hand, southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan saw significant improvement with well above-normal precipitation which began to replenish soil moisture and improve surface water supplies, “delivering much-needed respite from the drought conditions.”
Precipitation was highly variable across Western Canada in July. Southern Alberta and parts of southwestern Saskatchewan received over 150% of normal precipitation, while northern agricultural and forested areas across all three provinces remained dry.
Some areas such as La Ronge, North Battleford, and Prince Albert in Saskatchewan and The Pas and Thompson in Manitoba received less than 25% of normal monthly precipitation. Central Saskatchewan, east-central Alberta, and Manitoba’s Interlake saw less than 40% of normal precipitation, with some Interlake areas receiving under 30 mm.
Temperatures were generally cooler than normal, especially in Manitoba’s Interlake region, where temperatures were greater than 5 degrees Celsius below normal due to much colder nighttime temperatures, helping to limit the impact of the dryness, the monitor said.
Southern Alberta saw heavy rains — over 150% of normal in many areas and more than 150 mm near Calgary — easing drought in the southwest and eliminating an area of extreme drought. Southeastern Alberta also received substantial rain, but lingering moderate and severe drought persisted.
In contrast, central Alberta faced drought expansion, with parts of east-central Alberta slipping into extreme drought after receiving less than 40% of normal rainfall. Municipalities such as the M.D. of Bonnyville and County of Two Hills declared agricultural disasters.
Northern Alberta fared worst, especially the Peace Region, where an extreme drought pocket grew.
In Saskatchewan, severe and extreme drought now dominate the northern half of the province, worsening crop failures, hay shortages, and forcing early livestock sales. Multiple rural municipalities declared agricultural disasters. In contrast, the southwest saw moderate drought improvement including the removal of an extreme drought classification.
For Manitoba, extreme drought expanded in July in the Interlake, north of Brandon, and west-central Manitoba, while severe drought grew across central and northern areas. Low dugout water levels, poor forage, and declining water quality led several rural municipalities to declare agricultural disasters, with many crops in the north showing significant drought damage.
