Lower than average precipitation last winter followed by a early and hot spring has Prairie producers on their fields seeding early.
However there are concerns over drier than normal soil moisture levels, and the short term forecast has hot and dry weather for most Prairie regions this week. However a shift to cooler weather by Monday May 9 could bring showers and that is indicated in the seven day accumulated moisture forecast.
The following map from the U.S. National Weather Service shows the five-day accumulated precipitation forecast issued Wednesday afternoon.
Here is the seven-day accumulated precipitation forecast, also issued Wednesday afternoon.
Looking a little further into the future, the following map from the U.S. Environmental Modeling Center at NCEP is produced from the mean of 16 forecast members
It displays its precipitation prediction for May 18-24 and for May 25-31. It shows a normal to low chance of precipitation in the Prairie region.
The following map is from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, and it displays the moisture accumulation April 1 to May 3 compared to normal.
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The following map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada displays the percent of average precipitation since Nov. 5.
Also from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, the following map shows the percent of average precipitation received on the Prairies since Feb. 3.
