After several dry years and El Niño producing warm and dry winters across Canada, early findings in 2026 are showing Alberta’s precipitation levels are bringing back needed moisture across all corners of the province.
The majority of the mountain snowpack sites surveyed are reporting snowpack levels above or well above normal. After three consecutive years of low early-season water supply forecasts, current conditions are the most favourable observed since early 2022.
“This is great news for our farmers, businesses, communities, and all Albertans who use and rely on water each and every day. We will continue closely monitoring our supply over the coming months and keep working to help build a more drought-resilient province.
Grant Hunter, Minister of Environment and Protected Areas
“We are taking a whole-government approach to managing provincial water systems to make sure Albertans have a safe, reliable water supply. There have been plenty of challenges thrown at our farmers and ranchers over the past few years and, while growing conditions were better in 2025 for most of the province, localized weather events and other stressors put pressure on many producers. I'm optimistic that early moisture indicators paint a positive picture for the 2026 growing season.”
R.J. Sigurdson, Minister of Agriculture and Irrigation
February’s water supply outlook shows promising conditions with river volumes expected to be greater than those seen in 2025 and in some cases, well above last year’s volumes.
- The Milk River basin is currently forecasted to see normal river volumes.
- Above-normal river volumes are forecasted for the North Saskatchewan and Red Deer River basins.
- The Bow and Oldman River basins are forecasted to see river volumes ranging from normal to above normal.
February snow survey results show mountain snowpack conditions ranging from normal to significantly above normal. Water storage levels in major reservoirs across southern Alberta are in good shape. Total storage remains normal in the Oldman and South Saskatchewan River basins and above normal in the Bow River basin.
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