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.

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April 2026 Drought Assessment

National Overview

Much of the country received normal to well above normal precipitation in April, with the notable exception of British Columbia. Large portions of the northern and central Prairies, Ontario, northern Quebec, and the Yukon recorded more than twice the normal April precipitation. However, well below normal April precipitation occurred throughout much of British Columbia, the extreme southern Prairies and northeastern Quebec. Temperatures were generally near normal across the agricultural regions of Canada and well below normal in northern regions.

As a result of above normal April precipitation, spring runoff and cooler temperatures, drought conditions improved significantly across the Yukon, central and northern Prairie Region, Ontario, Quebec and parts of Atlantic Canada. Below normal April precipitation throughout much of British Columbia and Labrador lead to expansion of drought conditions. At this time significant drought remains in southern British Columbia, southern Alberta, the Northwest Territories and through the Maritime region.

At the end of the month, 27% of the country was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate (D1) to Severe Drought (D2), including 20% of the country's agricultural landscape.

Pacific Region (BC)

In April, most of British Columbia saw below‑normal precipitation, with much of the province receiving under 60% of normal and large areas in south and central regions receiving under 40% of normal. Northern areas, including the North Coast, Nechako, and Peace River, received 85 to 200% of normal precipitation and localized pockets above 200% of normal. Temperatures were generally near normal though the southern Interior, especially the Okanagan, was more than 5 °C warmer than normal, while east‑central and northeastern areas were slightly cooler than normal.

Drought conditions worsened in the south, expanding across the Thompson–Okanagan and Kootenay regions. On Vancouver Island and the South Coast, Abnormally Dry (D0) expanded due to continued multi‑month deficits. In the Thompson–Okanagan, Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) expanded, while Severe Drought (D2) decreased slightly. The Kootenay region saw drought expansion after receiving less than 40% of normal precipitation in April and only 40 to 60% over the past three months, resulting in Abnormally Dry (D0) to Severe Drought (D2) conditions moving into southeastern areas.

In central British Columbia, the Cariboo Region saw slight worsening as Moderate Drought (D1) expanded, while Abnormally Dry (D0) remained relatively unchanged. Low‑elevation snowpack limited soil moisture recharge despite strong mountain snowpack. In contrast, the southern Nechako improved, with reductions in Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1). Northern Nechako and the Peace River region maintained adequate moisture thanks to 85 to 200% of normal precipitation, limiting drought development.

At the end of the month, 17% of the Pacific Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or Moderate (D1) to Severe Drought (D2), including 48% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Prairie Region (AB, SK, MB)

In April, near to above normal precipitation across much of the Prairie Region lead to significant drought improvement. Large areas of central and northern Saskatchewan and Manitoba received in excess of 200% of normal precipitation. Late month snowstorms provided significant moisture in many regions of the Prairies which resulted in drought improvement in southern regions and increased flood risk in central and northern regions. Below normal precipitation persisted in southern Alberta, the southern Peace Region, and parts of southern Saskatchewan and southwestern Manitoba. Temperatures were mostly cooler than normal, with anomalies exceeding 5 °C below normal in parts of northeastern Alberta, east central Saskatchewan, and Manitoba, while the Alberta foothills saw localized high temperatures above 4 °C.

Drought eased across most of Alberta, reducing the area in Abnormally Dry (D0) to Severe Drought (D2). Improvements were driven by above normal precipitation and improved soil moisture, especially in central and northern areas. Localized dryness and impacts persisted in the extreme southwest, west of Red Deer and the southern Peace Region, where winter soil moisture remained low and April precipitation was below normal. Small expansions of Moderate Drought (D1) occurred in northwestern Alberta where precipitation stayed at 40 to 85% of normal.

In Saskatchewan, widespread improvements in drought conditions were driven by above normal precipitation across most of the province in April. Southern areas saw reductions in Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) and the removal of Severe Drought (D2). Central Saskatchewan improved markedly, with Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) pockets being removed after above normal precipitation. Northern Saskatchewan also improved following late April snowfall and monthly totals between 115% to greater than 200% of normal, reducing Abnormally Dry (D0) extent.

Above normal precipitation throughout much of Manitoba led to improving drought conditions across all regions. In addition to monthly precipitation, spring melt contributed to improved soil moisture. In central Manitoba, Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions decreased and are now limited to east‑central areas. Northern Manitoba received 60% to more than 200% of normal precipitation, resulting in reductions to Abnormally Dry (D0) areas and minor improvements to Moderate (D1) and Severe Drought (D2) classifications. However, far northern regions remained relatively dry and saw only limited improvement.

At the end of the month, 19% of the Prairie Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or Moderate (D1) to Severe Drought (D2), including 17% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Central Region (ON, QC)

Precipitation was generally above normal across the Central Region in April, supporting widespread drought recovery. Temperatures were seasonal across most of the region, with slightly below normal values in northern Quebec. Much of Ontario received between 85% and more than 200% of normal precipitation, with the wettest conditions occurring in western and eastern parts of the province. Quebec also saw broad near to above normal precipitation (85 to 200%), although northeastern areas remained comparatively drier, receiving only 40 to 85% of normal.

In Ontario, drought conditions improved significantly across most regions due to sustained above normal winter precipitation, adequate spring rainfall, and snowmelt. In Northwestern Ontario, Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions decreased, with only small pockets remaining. Increased precipitation (85 to over 200% of normal) and rapid snowmelt raised water levels, prompting flood watches in many areas. Agricultural reports indicated optimal to surplus soil moisture in eastern and central Ontario, where all remaining Abnormally Dry (D0) areas were eliminated. Despite generally wet conditions, short term dryness late in the month increased fire risk and led to temporary fire bans in parts of eastern Ontario. Western and southern Ontario remained drought free and above normal precipitation and surplus soil moisture have delayed fieldwork.

In Quebec, conditions were more variable but showed overall improvement. In northern Quebec, drought conditions eased slightly, with reductions in Abnormally Dry (D0) areas and the removal of Moderate Drought (D1) in western areas. Precipitation ranged from below normal (40 to 85%) in northeastern areas and south of James Bay to 85 to 200% of normal across the rest of the province. Southeastern Quebec saw significant improvement, with the removal of Moderate (D1) and Severe Drought (D2) and most Abnormally Dry (D0) areas, except for a small remaining pocket north of Sherbrooke. In the Saguenay–Lac Saint Jean and Gaspé Peninsula regions, large areas of Abnormally Dry (D0), and Moderate Drought (D1) were eliminated, though some dryness persisted north of the St. Lawrence. Overall, moisture conditions improved across much of southern and eastern Quebec, while northern areas lagged behind.

At the end of the month, 20% of the Central Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or Moderate (D1) to Severe Drought (D2), including 7% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Atlantic Region (NS, NB, PE, NL)

In April, much of the Atlantic region, including New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, western Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland, received 85% to over 120% of normal. Localized areas in New Brunswick and Newfoundland and Labrador exceeded 200% of normal. In contrast, northeastern Labrador was notably drier, with widespread totals between 40 and 85% of normal and the northeastern coastline receiving only 40 to 60% of normal. Temperatures across the region were seasonal.

In New Brunswick, drought conditions improved overall. Northwestern areas saw the removal of Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1). Southern regions received enough precipitation over the past three months to support significant recovery, leading to the removal of Severe Drought (D2). However lingering deficits resulted in the persistence of Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) conditions in the south. Prince Edward Island also experienced improvements. Severe Drought (D2) was removed, and Moderate Drought (D1) coverage decreased following near normal precipitation across most of the province in April. Across Nova Scotia, drought changes were mixed with central areas seeing improvement and the reduction of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions. Southern and northern regions experienced an expansion of Moderate Drought (D1), consistent with below normal precipitation. Newfoundland remained free of drought or abnormal dryness, supported by near to above normal precipitation. Labrador experienced worsening drought conditions in April, with an expansion of Abnormally Dry (D0) areas and the emergence of Moderate Drought (D1) along the northeastern coastline, where precipitation deficits were most pronounced (40 to 60% of normal). Although southeastern Labrador received localized above normal precipitation, it was insufficient to offset broader regional dryness.

At the end of the month, 66% of the Atlantic Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or Moderate (D1) to Severe Drought (D2), including 70% of the region's agricultural landscape.

Northern Region (YK, NWT)

April precipitation across the Northern Region was generally near to above normal. Most of the Yukon and the Northwest Territories received 85 to 200% of normal precipitation, with some localized areas exceeding 200%. However, drier conditions persisted in parts of southwestern and northeastern Northwest Territories and in west central Yukon, where totals fell below 85% of normal, including pockets receiving less than 40%. Seasonal temperatures were near normal across much of the region, though southern Northwest Territories experienced notably cooler temperatures, more than 5 °C below average.

In Yukon, improved moisture conditions led to reductions in drought severity across southern and central areas. Above normal precipitation supported the removal of a large area of Abnormally Dry (D0) in the southwest and reduced D0 coverage elsewhere. Despite these improvements, dry pockets remained in southwestern, east central, and northernmost areas where precipitation totals were below normal. Reports of dry soil moisture continued from the Watson Lake–Whitehorse corridor, indicating lingering localized dryness despite broader regional improvement.

In the Northwest Territories, drought conditions showed slight improvement, though impacts persisted in several regions. In the south, the extent of Moderate Drought (D1) decreased, accompanied by minor adjustments to Abnormally Dry (D0) areas, while pockets of Severe Drought (D2) remained unchanged. Across central and northern regions, Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions were largely maintained, with small reductions in Moderate Drought (D1), though isolated Severe Drought (D2) areas persisted. While much of the territory received near to above normal precipitation, below normal totals in southwestern and northeastern areas, including localized regions receiving less than 40% of normal, limited more substantial drought recovery.

At the end of the month, 41% of the Northern Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or Moderate (D1) to Severe Drought (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.