Moisture Updates - August 15, 2022

Synopsis

Map 1: Since the last report issued on July 25, 2022, temperatures have generally remained above normal for this time of year. However for many lands across the south-half of the province, conditions have dried dramatically since mid-July.

Over the past 15-days, most areas south of east west line through Olds have received less than 10 mm of rain, with many areas south of the TransCanada Highway receiving less than 5 mm of moisture (map 1). In contrast, for those areas of the province lying north of Olds, precipitation has been variable but even the driest areas have received 10 to 20 mm and many widely scattered areas well over 30 mm.

30 Day Precipitation Patterns as of August 10, 2022

Maps 2 & 3: Over the past 30-days lands across the North East, North West, Western Peace Region, and western reaches of the Central and Southern Regions have experienced a drying trend (map 2), with large areas experiencing at least once in 12-year lows for moisture. However, this comes on the heels of several weeks of wet weather. Thus, while recent moisture has been below normal through many areas, it has potentially been sufficient to stave off serious moisture stress as many crops have now generally advanced through their most sensitive growth stages.

Over this same time frame, areas around Edmonton and up through the County of Barrhead, the western Peace Region and large parts of Southern and Central Regions have seen less than 30 mm of rain with some large areas receiving only 10 to 20 mm (map 3). Currently, pastures and crops in these areas would benefit from additional moisture in the days ahead.

Perspective

Map 4: Starting about the first week of July temperatures have remained consistently above normal across most of the province. This has helped dry overly wet areas and advance crops that were delayed due to the cool, wet start to the growing season. 

This week’s crop report, due out August 12^th will be pivotal in defining how well crops have done during the past few weeks as our weather patterns have now shifted from cool and wet to warm and potential, excessively dry. This marks yet another major swing in Alberta’s weather patterns. Remember, “Normal” is just the number you get as the weather moves from one extreme to the other.  This in itself is “normal”.