Rain ends dry summer, too late for farmers
Ban on fires in provincial parks sparked by months of hot weather could be lifted
Rain has not been a regular event in Saskatchewan this summer.
Only 1.8 millimetres fell in July. A bit more — 11.1 millimetres — fell in August, but it has still been one of the driest summers on record.
Just in time for summer to officially close this week, there was a bit of rain on Tuesday, so here is a check-in on how the lack of rain has affected the province.
SASKPOWER FIRES
Nearly a dozen fires this summer in Regina resulted from faulty wiring in Sask Power meter boxes. Dry conditions led to ground shifting, which led to wires being pulled out of meter boxes and fires starting.
Thousand of homes were inspected, with many of the boxes in need of repairs.
SaskPower officials say it is too early to tell what impact the September rain will have on helping prevent more fires.
HARVEST
For a while, it looked as if the province would be paying out millions in crop insurance due to the dry conditions. That may still be the case — Agriculture Minister Lyle Stewart says the province could pay out more than it expected — but he said producers dealing with perpetually dry weather this summer “are generally pleasantly surprised by the yields.”
But as anyone sitting in a combine these days knows, any rain at this point is not going to help this year’s crop. Stewart says all it will do is help replenish the soil moisture for next year.
FIRE BANS
Those who enjoy the great out- doors have likely not shared too many stories around the campfire this year. That is because provincial parks have had fire bans or alerts for most of the summer.
Government officials say the current fire ban — covering all provincial parks — is likely to lift Wednesday, but only if risk is diminished on all Crown land.