Late season snowfalls at the end of March have improved spring runoff conditions in Saskatchewan, even as moisture levels in many areas of the province remain below, or well below normal levels.
In its latest spring runoff update on Friday (see map below), the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency said a mid-March snowstorm increased the expected additional runoff volumes to some degree across southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan.
Much of this area across both provinces was snow free prior to the storm, the report said, adding that how quickly the snow melts will impact how much additional runoff will be experienced. With the area being so dry prior to the snowfall event, if a slow melt occurs, a lot of the water will infiltrate into the soil, it said. Another snowstorm in late March brought 5 to 15 cm of snow across most of eastern Saskatchewan, with the heavier snow falling in the northeastern portions of the grain belt.
A decent snowpack still exists in the Assiniboine Basin. In this area, ice layers were present during the snow surveys done at the end of February, and with the additional snow received over the past month, a near normal runoff is still expected.