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.

April 2025 Drought Assessment

National Overview

April brought average to above average precipitation across Eastern Canada and a mix of well above and well below normal precipitation across Western Canada. With normal to above normal spring precipitation and snowmelt across most regions of the Eastern Canada, drought and abnormally dry conditions improved, most significantly in southern Quebec and Nova Scotia. In Western Canada, normal to above normal precipitation in combination with spring snow melt improved conditions throughout much of the southern Prairies and Southern portions of British Columbia. However below normal and dry conditions dominated the Vancouver Island central interior of British Columbia and the central and northern Prairies stretching from the Peace River region of northern British Columbia, through central Saskatchewan and into Manitoba’s Interlake region. Poor rainfall through these regions resulted in an expansion of Abnormally dry And Moderate drought conditions through much of this region. The region with the highest intensity drought continues to be in southwestern Alberta along the eastern slopes of the Rocky Mountains. Despite Below to well below normal precipitation across a large region of Western Canada the area of drought has remained low as soil moisture is adequate in many regions due to spring snow melt and good fall moisture.

At the end of the month, 32% of the country was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Severe Drought (D1 to D2), including 33% of the country's agricultural landscape.

Pacific Region (BC)

Much of British Columbia experienced above-average precipitation in March which improved snowpack, streamflow and moisture conditions. Despite widespread precipitation, some regions of the province still received below-normal precipitation, including northern Vancouver Island, the central coast, western Cariboo region, the Peace region, southernmost parts of the Thompson-Okanagan region, and the east Kootenays. Long-term precipitation deficits remain a concern in the Peace, Stikine, Cariboo, and Central Coast regions. By the end of March, much of British Columbia reported near- to above-normal snowpack including Vancouver Island, the southern coast, the upper and lower Fraser regions, the southern Interior, southeast, and east-central areas. However, the central coast and western Cariboo had significantly below-average snowpack. Streamflow was generally normal or above normal across the province, though northern areas reported below-normal flows. March temperatures were above average, with some parts of the Cariboo, Peace, and Kootenay regions exceeding 3°C above normal.

Much of British Columbia began the spring with drier-than-normal soils, below normal snowpack, and ongoing precipitation deficits. Warm and dry April weather conditions resulted in continued dry or drought conditions in many parts of the province. Temperatures ranged from near normal in the south to slightly above normal in the north. A large portion of British Columbia, had well below normal snowpack through the winter months, raising concerns that drought conditions may develop during the summer as stream flows decline. At the end of April, the provincial average was 73% of record median, decreasing from 77% mid-month. The region with the lowest snowpack at the end of April was the East Kootenay at 56% of normal. April conditions were mixed in southern British Columbia, with Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions slightly expanding across southern Vancouver Island due to lower-than-normal monthly precipitation. Conversely, Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) conditions were alleviated across a large portion of the Lower Mainland, along the Sunshine Coast and into the Whistler region, as well as the southern Interior, where recent rainfall improved moisture conditions and streamflows returned to near normal. In central British Columbia, Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions expanded west of Bella Coola and east of Terrace as well as across parts of the Nechako Plateau near Prince George due to ongoing dryness. However, Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions were reduced across the Fraser Plateau as long-term precipitation deficits were no longer present. In northern British Columbia, ongoing precipitation deficits and long-term dryness prompted the expansion of Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) in addition to Severe Drought (D2) remaining across the northeastern corner of the province. As a result of these long-term precipitation deficits, elevated fire danger ratings continued. Currently there are 40 wildfires in the province with some smoldering fires persisting through the winter in the northeastern corner of the province.

At the end of the month, 63% of the Pacific Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Severe Drought (D1 to D2), including 53% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Prairie Region (AB, SK, MB)

The Prairie Region also received highly variable precipitation this month, with above normal precipitation reported across southwest and northwest parts of the region, and below normal precipitation through the southeast, central and northeastern portions of the region. A broad area from east-central Alberta through central Saskatchewan and into southern and central Manitoba saw well below-normal April precipitation, with some areas receiving less than 40% of normal. Alberta's Peace Region recorded under 60% of normal precipitation. In contrast, much of the rest of the Prairies received between 85% and over 200% of normal precipitation, with the highest precipitation amounts falling across northern and southeastern Alberta, southern Saskatchewan, and southwestern Manitoba. Much of this came in the form of a late-month snowstorm that brought snowfall amounts upwards of 30cm across southeastern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba. Alberta and parts of western Saskatchewan experienced warmer than normal temperatures in April, particularly in southwestern Alberta where temperatures were more than 5°C above normal. The rest of the Prairie Region experienced cooler than normal temperatures this month. Grass fires have been a significant concern throughout many regions this spring with dry vegetation, high temperatures and delayed green up.

Alberta saw improvements to drought in west-central areas this month and worsening drought in the southwest. A new pocket of Extreme Drought (D3) developed along the southern Foothills due to long-term precipitation deficits, well below normal snowpack reported over the winter, low surface water levels and dry soils. Water allocations for irrigators in the St. Mary’s Irrigation District remain about 4 inches per acre below their normal. Reservoir levels remained low throughout southwestern Alberta, with the St. Mary’s at 64%, Oldman at 57%, and Waterton at 40% of storage. In contrast, conditions improved in west-central parts of the province, particularly west of Red Deer and Edmonton as well as around Jasper National Park: above-normal precipitation reported in the past 3 to 9 months led to improved soil moisture and the removal of D0 and D1 in these areas. Conditions across northern Alberta remained dry this month, leading to an expansion of Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) conditions expanded around Grande Prairie in the Peace Region and northeast around Cold Lake.

Drought conditions in April expanded across central Saskatchewan but were alleviated along the southeastern corner of the province. Both Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) areas expanded across central Saskatchewan as these areas received less than 40% of their normal monthly precipitation in addition to growing precipitation deficits in the longer-term. In contrast, the remaining parts of southern Saskatchewan saw little change in drought condition this month as snowmelt and a late-month snowstorm helped replenish soil moisture and improve water supplies. This ultimately led to a reduction in Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions in southern portions of the province.

South and central Manitoba received below-normal precipitation in April, with the exception of the southwestern corner which received above-normal monthly precipitation. Short-term precipitation deficits, low stream flows and increased fire risk alongside reports of little runoff from snow melt and low soil moisture led to the expansion of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions across much of south and central Manitoba. Conversely, southwestern Manitoba saw a reduction in Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) conditions as moisture from a snowstorm in late April brought in lots of wet, heavy snow that was quickly absorbed in the soil with minimal runoff.

At the end of the month, 41% of the Prairie Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Extreme Drought (D1 to D3), including 41% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Central Region (ON, QC)

The Central Region experienced cooler temperatures in April, except in northern Québec, parts of southern Ontario, and the Gaspé region where temperatures were slightly above normal. Much of Ontario and Québec received over 115% of average April precipitation, except in northwestern Ontario where less than 60% of normal precipitation was received

In Southern Ontario, Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) areas were removed due to above-normal precipitation and snowmelt raising river levels. Drier conditions in northwestern Ontario have also led to an expansion of Abnormally Dry (D0) in that area. In contrast, the area around Thunder Bay, areas east of Lake Superior, and much of central Ontario received over 150% of normal precipitation, leading to the removal of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions. Drought in the St. Lawrence and Gaspé regions Québec improved due to significant moisture over the past three months. Pockets of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions remained northeast of Montreal, around Sherbrooke and west of Québec City. In northern Québec, minor changes were made, Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions expanded near the Hudson and James Bay coasts, while pockets of Abnormally Dry (D0) in the northeast saw minor reductions.

At the end of the month, 18% of the Central Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate Drought (D1), including 5% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Atlantic Region (NS, NB, PE, NL)

Above normal precipitation was received throughout much of Atlantic Canada in April, a distinct change from recent months of well below normal precipitation. Parts of western New Brunswick and Newfoundland recorded 150 to 200% of normal precipitation as a result of several spring storm events. A small area of central Nova Scotia and western Labrador received below normal precipitation in April. Most of the region recorded slightly warmer than normal temperatures.

Precipitation was well above normal through April in New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland which led to the removal of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions in these regions. Drought conditions improved in Nova Scotia with the reduction of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions and the removal of Moderate Drought (D1). However, Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions persisted across central Nova Scotia and eastern Cape Breton due to precipitation deficits. Labrador saw the emergence of a small pocket of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions along the northern coastline due to short-term precipitation deficits. Additionally, Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions were reduced in northwestern Labrador near the Québec border.

At the end of the month, 20% of the Atlantic Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate Drought (D1), including 22% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Northern Region (YK, NWT)

The Northern Region experienced warmer than normal temperatures in April, except for the southern Northwest Territories, where temperatures were 2°C below normal. Southwestern Yukon experienced the highest temperatures in the region, with Burwash recording its 3rd warmest April on record, and Whitehorse and Faro each recording their 4th warmest. Precipitation levels were generally above normal this month, except in the southernmost regions of the Yukon and Northwest Territories, where some stations recorded only 60 to 85% of normal precipitation. In the Yukon, conditions were direst in the southeast near Watson Lake and the west around Beaver Creek. Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions expanded somewhat across the southern Yukon where short-term precipitation deficits grew slightly in April. In the northern Yukon, Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions were removed due to areas receiving well over double their usual April precipitation, alleviating short-term dryness in the area. In the While conditions have steadily improved throughout the Northwest Territories over the past 3 months, additional precipitation is needed to address long-term deficits.

At the end of the month, 30% of the Northern Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Severe Drought (D1 to D2).

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.