Very dry sums up moisture conditions in Alberta where snow cover has been almost non-existent in an El Nino controlled winter.
“A good wet April could go a long way toward putting us back to normal,” said Al Howard, soil moisture specialist for Alberta Agriculture.
Soil conditions this spring depend on how farmers managed the soil last fall to preserve what bit of moisture exists. Recent dumps of snow in the southern regions equal about 1.25 centimetres of water.
“With good residue management a lot of farmers could resist losing more moisture,” he said. For those who worked fields in the fall, dry fields will be their fate this spring.
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Almost every year, a dry pocket appears from Drumheller to Brooks to Medicine Hat where there is generally less than eight cm of soil moisture. This year, that area covers everything from Red Deer south, said Howard.
Some pockets in the Oldman and Red Deer Rivers are completely dried out, he said.
While El Nino has caused some damage, the major reason is a lack of fall rains to replenish reserves.
Fall precipitation was below average in south and south-central Alberta while rainfall was average to above average in the north and north-central regions. Winter precipitation measured between Nov. 1 and Feb. 28 was much below average to below average in all areas of the province.
With a dry spring predicted there are several considerations:
- Those who depend on runoff to fill dugouts may be short of water.
- There will be delayed growth in pastures and hay fields.
- Annual crops will be going into dry seedbeds.
These situations are more critical for dryland farmers because irrigation reservoirs are in good shape.
In addition to little or no spring runoff, mountain snowpack is below average to much below average in Alberta. The exception is the northeastern corner where conditions are average.
The snowpack feeds the headwaters of Alberta’s river systems.
