Drought and abnormal dryness continued to shrink markedly across Western Canada in June amid cooler temperatures and above-normal rainfall.
The latest monthly update of the Canadian drought monitor on Monday showed abnormal dryness or drought impacting less than one-third (32%) of Prairie farmland at the end of last month, down sharply from 67% at the end of May and 99% in April.
Central and northern Alberta saw significant improvements in all drought classes in June, especially across northern parts of the province. The Peace region saw the greatest degree of improvement with extreme drought reduced and a pocket of exceptional drought removed.
Drought conditions also improved across eastern Alberta where a pocket of severe drought in the Special Areas was removed, and moderate drought east of Lloydminster was reduced. However, western parts of Alberta reported lower than normal precipitation in June, leading to a slight expansion of abnormally dry conditions along the Foothills west of Red Deer. Severe drought around Red Deer slightly expanded due to growing precipitation deficits and soil reportedly drying out. A small pocket of severe drought also remained in the southwestern corner of the province where monthly precipitation was reported at less than 40% of normal.
Ample June precipitation also led to drought improvements across much of Saskatchewan, with only a few pockets of abnormally dry conditions remaining across the southern part of the province at the end of the month. Multiple storms passed through the province in June, bringing rainfall that continued to improve soil moisture across croplands, the monitor said.
Lloydminster was drier than normal, however, with a small pocket of moderate drought remaining around the city. Northern Saskatchewan saw improvements, with significant precipitation falling between Prince Albert towards Reindeer Lake in the northeastern corner of the province. A large area of abnormally dry to severe drought was alleviated, with only a pocket of abnormally dry conditions remaining around La Loche and Buffalo Narrows.
In Manitoba, only a few pockets of abnormally dry conditions remained at the end of June: northeast of Flin Flon, in the west-central region along the Manitoba–Ontario border, and a pocket stretching from The Pas towards Swan River. On the other hand, southern Manitoba remained drought free,
