Environment Canada has released its list of the top 10 weather stories of 2025, and many of the most consequential events shared a common thread: significant impacts on agriculture, water supplies, and rural communities.
At the top of the list was Canada’s second-worst wildfire year on record, which saw blazes engulf an area larger than New Brunswick and P.E.I. combined.
But it was the No. 2 weather story of the year — drought — that cast the longest shadow over Canadian agriculture.
Long stretches of hot, dry weather during the summer caused drought to develop in some areas and worsen in others. Some regions received less than half their usual summer rainfall, including parts of British Columbia, the central and northern Prairies, eastern Ontario, and southern Quebec – along with much of the Maritimes and large areas of the North.
According to the Canadian Drought Monitor, about 85% of the country was abnormally dry or in drought conditions as of the end of September, including roughly 76% of Canada's agricultural lands.
In Alberta and Saskatchewan, agricultural disasters were declared in many central and northern municipalities by late summer due to drought. Lakes dried up in parts of central Alberta. Only southern Alberta and parts of southwestern Saskatchewan had above-normal summer rainfall.
In Ontario, water levels in the St. Lawrence River dropped so low that boats became stranded in the mud. Local farms were hit hard — apple orchards and non-irrigated fields saw smaller yields, while pumpkin crops were reduced by as much as 70%.
“The widespread drought of 2025 was unusual in both scale and severity. Even in a country known for its vast fresh water, it served as a powerful reminder that no region is immune to drought,” Environment Canada said.
Other weather calamties on the top 10 list included the Prairie heatwave in May, June storms in Ontario, and record late-summer heat across Western Canada.
The full top 10 list can be seen here:
https://www.canada.ca/en/environment-climate-change/services/top-ten-weather-stories/2025.html
