Map: March Mostly Drier than Normal for Prairies

Another month closer to the start of seeding and precipitation across large portions of Western Canada continues to disappoint. 

As shown on the map below, a large swath of the Prairie production region, extending all the way from the southeast around Winnipeg to Edmonton in the northwest, received well below normal precipitation during the month of March. Some pockets in Saskatchewan and Alberta did do better during the month, but the bottom line continues to be mostly dry conditions heading into the spring planting season. 

Significant snowfall is forecast to impact parts of Manitoba into Thursday of this week, but any precipitation later this week and into the weekend is expected to be limited. 

Drought has generally improved across Western Canada this winter, although the latest update of the monthly drought monitor still shows much of the southwestern Prairie still experiencing abnormally dry to severe drought conditions. Much of Manitoba is coming into the spring in much better shape following particularly heavy precipitation last year, but areas west of Winnipeg remain classified as abnormally dry or in moderate drought.