Map: Prairie Drought Materially Unchanged in March

Drought across Western Canada remained materially unchanged in March, even after storms brought significant precipitation to various parts of the region. 

The latest monthly update of the Canadian drought monitor showed 99% of Prairie farmland impacted by abnormal dryness or some of drought as of the end of last month, an increase of 4 points from February. 

The Prairies as a whole trended drier than normal in March, although some agricultural areas did much better in terms of precipitation. 

Much of the precipitation in Alberta fell along the Rocky Mountains, across southern agricultural areas, and near Fort McMurray in the province's northeastern corner. However, the Peace Region and the area surrounding Edmonton east towards the Saskatchewan border continued to miss out on much-needed moisture. 

“This concerning trend of significantly below-normal precipitation continued across central and northern parts of the province,” the monitor said, noting those areas have received less than 50% of normal precipitation since the end of September 2023. 

Pockets of extreme and exceptional drought in southeastern Alberta did shrink slightly in March. There was also a slight improvement to drought between Edmonton and the Peace Region, but most other drought areas remained.