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Although some areas of Manitoba are too wet, soil moisture conditions are rated as dry on the western side of the province. Rain is needed soon, especially in the southwest where signs of moisture stress are starting to appear in some crops. Rainfall was quite general in Saskatchewan with amounts averaging ½ inch to 1½ inches, with as much as 4 inches at Alameda. The rain was welcome, especially in west central and northwestern Saskatchewan but will only provide a temporary reprieve from the dry conditions. Additional rain will be required shortly because of poor sub-soil moisture reserves in many areas. In southern Alberta, the rainfall stayed west of highway #2 so it continues to be dry near Brooks to the Red Deer River. In west central Alberta, the rainfall was variable (nothing to 1 inch) but a range of 2/10 of an inch to 6/10 of an inch was more common. Lack of soil moisture continues to be a concern for much of this area. The southern Peace region of Alberta and BC Peace region did not receive any precipitation last week and soil moisture is rated as poor. Little rainfall has fallen in this region since June 1 and crops are starting to exhibit symptoms of moisture stress. The Northern Peace region received 4/10 to 8/10 of an inch of rain and soil moisture is adequate at this time.
Maps of current moisture conditions in western Canada from PFRA are available at:
http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/Redirect.aspx?u=177807&q=133980970&lm=19904645&r=154126&qz=6e309373c4b604e8e12cac5dc211fcc2
http://www.industrymailout.com/Industry/Redirect.aspx?u=177808&q=133980970&lm=19904645&r=154126&qz=af0cdc25db8d8daa9eb37105d3ffcff1
Additional moisture information for Alberta is available from Alberta Environment at:
http://www.environment.alberta.ca/forecasting/data/precipmaps/weekly.pdf