Map: ‘Some Sign’ the Weather is Improving for the Parts of Western Canada

It won’t break the drought, but precipitation in parts of Alberta over the past number of days has been significant enough to at least improve spring planting conditions. 

As can be seen on the map below, southwestern Alberta has seen accumulations of up to 30 to 40 mm in the seven-day period ending April 4. Additional rain and snow, most of it light, is expected across southern Alberta and western Saskatchewan in the coming days, offering at least some further improvement. 

“The precipitation, and that which occurred in late March in southern Alberta, is slowly improving the topsoil moisture so that spring planting can begin soon after years of drought,” World Weather Inc. said in a report Friday. “Drought remains in many areas and more precipitation must fall, but at least there has been some sign that the weather may be improving.” 

According to World Weather, southern and west-central Alberta into extreme southwestern Saskatchewan received some of the most significant precipitation in the Prairies during the past week. Moisture totals for the seven-day period ended Friday morning ranged from about 6 to 24 mm, with local amounts nearing 40 mm (1 ½ inches) in southwestern Alberta. 

However, several areas in western and southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan are still likely to enter the heart of planting season with moisture deficits, World Weather warned. 

In this Mesonet Weather Report, Oklahoma state climatologist Gary McManus explains how drought conditions are expanding across the state, while new rain chances may offer some relief. Get the latest Oklahoma weather outlook, drought updat