Current drought conditions - agriculture.canada.ca

Description of the image above.

The map above shows the extent and severity of drought conditions across Canada. The scale used runs from D0 Abnormally dry to D4 Exceptional drought.

Download a high resolution map and narrative (PDF Version, 773 KB) suitable for printing.

December 2024 Drought Assessment

National Overview

Above normal precipitation and warmer than normal temperatures dominated much of the national landscape in December. Above normal precipitation was received in southwestern and central British Columbia, much of Alberta, western and northern Saskatchewan, and southern Ontario and portions of Quebec. Parts of Alberta, western Saskatchewan, and Interior British Columbia received twice the normal December precipitation. Below normal precipitation was received along British Columbia's central coast, along the Alberta foothills, central Saskatchewan, central Manitoba and throughout much of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Temperatures were above normal across the country, with temperatures in much of British Columbia as well as western and northern Alberta seeing monthly mean temperatures greater than 5 degrees above normal. The central Prairies and much of Central and Eastern Canada experienced monthly mean temperatures of up to 2 degrees warmer than normal. As a result of these monthly conditions drought continued to improve across much of Canada with only small areas of British Columbia and Nova Scotia having any significant worsening conditions. The most significant drought improvements this month occurred across Alberta, reaching into the territories where drought and Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions were significantly improved or alleviated by December precipitation. The region with the most significant drought at the end of December was the long-term drought in the Northwest Territories.

At the end of the month, 43% of the country was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Extreme Drought (D1 to D3), including 35% of the country's agricultural landscape.

Pacific Region (BC)

Drought conditions continued to improve over much of the interior and the southern coast of Vancouver Island with above to well above normal precipitation in December. The largest improvements were around Prince George with above normal precipitation (from 178-260% of normal) alleviating long-term moisture deficits. The northeast portion of the province including Fort St. John which received >160% of normal precipitation in December, also saw significant improvement with a reduction of Abnormally Dry (D0), Moderate Drought (D1) and Severe Drought (D2) conditions. Despite improvements in the northeast, there is still a significant long-term moisture deficit resulting in a substantial area remaining in Severe Drought (D2). Despite elevated levels of precipitation in parts of the province, other regions including the Sunshine Coast and western Cariboo had an expansion of Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) conditions. Temperatures were well above normal in December with at least 10 long-term monitoring locations measuring within their top 5 warmest December temperatures, including many stations in the lower mainland or on Vancouver Island. Provincial snowpack was slightly below normal (averaging 87% of normal) across the province; this is significantly higher than last year when the provincial average was 56% for the same time.

At the end of the month, 30% of the Pacific Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Extreme Drought (D1 to D3), including 26% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Prairie Region (AB, SK, MB)

Temperatures across the Prairies were above normal in December with the highest temperatures, more than 5 degrees Celsius above normal, in western Alberta. Well above normal precipitation (>150% of normal) helped to reduce or alleviate drought conditions in central and northern Alberta. However, the foothills in southwestern Alberta continued to receive well below normal precipitation (less than 40% of average) resulting in continued Abnormally Dry (D0) to Moderate Drought (D1) conditions. Winter precipitation has been above normal across much of the Prairies, however, annual precipitation trended below normal this calendar year. As a result, Abnormally Dry (D0) or Moderate Drought (D1) conditions remain along the southern border of Saskatchewan in the central and eastern regions of the province despite near normal precipitation in December. In southern Manitoba, December precipitation was highly variable with some regions recording normal and others recording below normal precipitation. As a result, drought conditions were mostly unchanged across northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba with Moderate Drought (D1) remaining around Flin Flon, La Ronge, and Buffalo Narrows.

At the end of the month, 36% of the Prairie Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Severe Drought (D1 to D2), including 25% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Central Region (ON, QC)

In December, Central Canada received normal to above normal precipitation reducing moisture deficits that accumulated during the dry fall. Temperatures across the region continued to be slightly above normal this month (0-2 degrees Celsius). Despite normal to above normal precipitation, significant portions of Ontario and Quebec remain in Abnormally Dry (D0) or Moderate Drought (D1), with some remaining pockets of Severe Drought (D2). Dry areas included portions of southern Ontario, the northern shore of Lake Ontario and southern Quebec. Winter precipitation to date has greatly improved short-term drought conditions including the extent of Moderate (D1) and Severe Drought (D2) in southern Ontario and southern Quebec. Moderate Drought (D1) persisted along the north shore of Lake Ontario expanding in December to include areas east of Toronto, here Abnormally Dry conditions also expanded west of Sudbury. Extremely high precipitation (more than 100 mm) was received around Georgian Bay and Lake Erie, as a result Moderate and Severe Drought (D1-D2) and Abnormally Dry (D0) areas were reduced or removed in these regions. December was dry (40-85% of normal precipitation) across much of northwestern Ontario resulted in some expansion of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions west of Kapuskasing. The most severe drought conditions persisted in the southwest around Montréal and north of La Mauricie National Park.

At the end of the month, 54% of the Central Region was classified as being Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Severe Drought (D2), including 58% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Atlantic Region (NS, NL, NB, PEI)

Precipitation throughout much of the Atlantic Region was normal to below normal in December, with southwestern New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and much of Nova Scotia recording below normal precipitation (<85% of normal monthly precipitation). These regions recorded below normal precipitation for the fourth consecutive month. The western portion of Nova Scotia received the least precipitation in December, increasing the Moderate Drought (D1) region to cover most of the province. Eastern New Brunswick and Cape Breton received near to above normal precipitation, including several snowstorms in December. Moderate Drought (D1) was reduced in New Brunswick while severe Drought was eliminated. Abnormally dry conditions were pulled back from Eastern New Brunswick and around Cape Breton. December precipitation helped to alleviate Severe Drought (D2) around Halifax and Yarmouth in Nova Scotia. However, Moderate Drought (D1) and Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions expanded this month due to long-term precipitation deficits. Moderate Drought was also eliminated in southern Newfoundland and Severe Drought was removed in Labrador due to higher December precipitation reducing long-term precipitation deficits. Mean monthly temperatures were slightly warmer than normal (less than 2 degrees Celsius above normal). Snow depth at the end of the month was below normal across the Maritimes. Although there was snowfall throughout the month, warm temperatures leading into the New Year led to a significant decrease in the snowpack in the last few days of the month. Although some storm totals were significant, most storms were isolated with little significant impact. Snowfall was below normal on the Island and southeastern Labrador partly due to the warm temperatures. Sea ice was at least two weeks behind normal for growth on the Labrador coast.

At the end of the month, 73% of the Atlantic Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Severe Drought (D2), including 82% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Northern Region (YK, NWT)

Temperatures across the Northern Region were variable in December with cooler temperatures experienced in western Northwest Territories and much warmer than normal temperatures dominating the rest of the region. Above normal precipitation was recorded across much of the northern region in December except for parts of the Yukon where precipitation was near below normal. Southern portions of the Northwest Territories, south of Great Slave Lake, where dry conditions have persisted since fall, saw continued recovery this month with near to above normal precipitation.

Overall, the extent of drought was reduced across the North with the Abnormally Dry (D0) areas most reduced. Specifically, areas north and east of the Great Slave Lake like the Snare River, Lockhart River, and Coppermine River improved because of above normal precipitation this winter improving moisture deficits. However, Great Slave Lake continued to report its lowest water level on record for this time of year. The extent of Moderate (D1) and Severe (D2) Drought south and west of Great Bear Lake improved slightly this month with higher precipitation. As reported in early December, early winter water levels and flow rates remain very low across most of the Northwest Territories, and in many instances are similar to those recorded last year at this time. Along with long-term precipitation deficits Moderate (D1) and Severe (D2) Drought remains across much of the region. In the Yukon, Moderate Drought (D1) persisted in December, Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions improved somewhat with recent precipitation. Snowpack in most other parts of the Yukon has been above average, starting the winter season with significant November precipitation.

At the end of the month, 33% of the Northern Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Extreme Drought (D1 to D3).

Key Drought Indicators

These are a few of the products that were converged to create this assessment. They may provide additional understanding of drought conditions.