Still dry down south as of mid-June, farmers need more moisture
Our Fire Weather Meteorologists have been closely monitoring an exceptionally warm air mass as it moves slowly through the province. Extreme heat is set to dominate the weather over the next few days, intensifying into Wednesday. During this time, it’s possible some locations may see temperatures pushing well into the upper 30’s. As the system tracks east, unstable weather is expected to follow it with thunderstorms and possibly rain showers moving into the northwest corner of the province late Wednesday. Then, over the next few days, unstable conditions and relatively high humidity levels will continue to build on the west side of the air mass and push southward and eastward bringing thunderstorm activity and in some cases showers.
By the weekend temperatures will moderate into the low 30’s to high twenties. This is expected to continue into next week, along with unstable conditions that will drive widespread thunderstorm activity.
Temperatures were soaring into the 35 to 37 C range across a large area between Grande Prairie and Jasper. In contrast, the “coolest” area of the province was the extreme southwestern portion of the province where temperatures only pushed into the upper 20’s, (editor’s note: that changed the week of June 27-July 2).
Ahead of this heat wave, many areas south of Red Deer have received some moisture ranging from 10 to 40 mm. The greatest accumulations were concentrated into the extreme southwest were lands in and around the Crowsnest Pass received upwards of 40 mm of rain.
Several areas have been quite dry for this time of year. This includes a large part of the Peace Region, the eastern portion of the North West and most of southern Alberta. Some lands in these areas have received less than 40 mm of rain with large parts of southern Alberta and the southern Peace Region, receiving less than 20 mm.
In contrast, a few areas have received over 80 mm (blue on the map) and these lands will be better able to supply moisture to crops as the heat wave continues to stress plants over the next several days. Regional Assessments:
Region One: South (Strathmore, Lethbridge, Medicine Hat, Foremost)
* Over the past week, hot weather has stressed crops and forages, while precipitation was limited to some light localized showers. Moisture is needed for dryland fields, as the hot temperatures have impacted forage yields and the growth of crops and pastures in most areas.
* Spring seeded crops are mostly at the beginning of the stem elongation stage of development, while fall seeded crops are in the head emergence stage. About 64 per cent of canola, 60 per cent of dry peas and 68 per cent of lentils are in the 4-6 leaf/node stage.
* Post-emergence spraying is underway, with 60 per cent complete, but windy conditions have delayed it in some areas. Flea beetles and gopher infestations are now becoming an issue in some fields.
* Surface soil moisture is rated (sub-surface soil moisture ratings shown in brackets) at 19 (12) per cent poor, 41 (39) per cent fair, 38 (47) per cent good and 2 (2) per cent excellent.
* Tame hay growing conditions are reported as 5 per cent poor, 35 per cent fair, 56 per cent good and 4 per cent excellent. Region Two: Central (Rimbey, Airdrie, Coronation, Oyen)
* Over the past week, most parts of the region received moisture, coupled with some warm temperatures. This resulted in good growth conditions for both crops and forages. However, some counties, mostly in the southern parts of the region still need moisture in order to maintain growth and prevent yield loss.
* Spring seeded cereals are mostly in the tillering stage of development and fall seeded crops are finishing the booting stage. About 52 per cent of canola, 65 per cent of dry peas and 45 per cent of lentils are in the 4-6 leaf/node stage.
* Post-emergence spraying is continuing in the region, but slow due to rain and windy conditions and is now 38 per cent complete. Flea beetles, wireworms and gopher infestations are concerns in some areas.
* Surface soil moisture is rated (sub-surface soil moisture ratings shown in brackets) at 7 (10) per cent poor, 12 (17) per cent fair, 58 (51) per cent good and 22 (21) per cent excellent, with 1 (1) per cent excessive.
* Hay crops and pastures will need some moisture soon to maintain growth. Tame hay conditions are reported as 6 per cent poor, 17 per cent fair, 60 per cent good and 17 per cent excellent.