| | Ralph Wright, manager of the agro-meteorological applications and modelling section with Alberta Agriculture and Forestry, analyzes the data.
“This year, the winter snow pack has arrived right on schedule with most lands seeing persistent snow accumulations during the first week of November,” says Wright. “Currently, most areas between the town of Peace River and Red Deer have full snow cover. Accumulations range from 10 to 15 cm, up to nearly 60 cm along the north side of the Swan Hills, including the town of High Prairie (see map 1).”
“Prior to freeze-up, unusually cool and wet fall weather persisted through September and the first half of October. It allowed soil moisture reserves to return to at least near normal across most of the province’s agricultural areas (see map 2). However, some dry areas still do exists through parts of Southern Alberta, a small area west of Olds, and throughout the northern tip of the Peace Region.”
“Looking back since the start of September, precipitation has been highly variable with less than 20 mm falling across the Northern Peace Region, and only 20 to 30 mm through parts of the County of Newel (see map 3). This stands in sharp contrast to a large area that includes lands from Grande Prairie in the north to Red Deer in the south, stretching eastward to the Saskatchewan border. Within this zone, precipitation accumulations to date exceed 80 mm, with some pockets receiving over 100 mm. These areas now have adequate soil moisture reserves going into next year’s cropping season.”
Find more information at weatherdata.ca, Agricultural Moisture Situation Updates, or contact Ralph Wright, manager of the agro-meteorological applications and modelling section at 780-446-6831.
Contact:
Ralph Wright
780-446-6831 |
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