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.
June 2024 Drought Assessment
National Overview
The month of June saw significant precipitation across much of the Prairies, central Ontario and Quebec. Northern Ontario, southeastern Quebec and Labrador, however, experienced drier than normal conditions. Northern Northwest Territories and much of the Yukon Territory also reported drier than normal monthly precipitation, with some areas receiving less than 25% of normal precipitation. Cooler than normal temperatures across the Prairies, along with above-normal precipitation, continued to improve drought conditions after significant improvements made last month. This improvement extended into the Peace region of Alberta and British Columbia where areas of Extreme (D3) and Exceptional Drought (D4) were also reduced. The only areas of the country where either Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions or drought expanded includes parts of the Yukon Territory, Northwest Territories as well as northeastern portions of the Gaspé Peninsula in Quebec.
At the end of the month, 38% of the country was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Exceptional Drought (D1 to D4), including 35% of the country’s agricultural landscape.
Pacific Region (BC)
The Pacific region saw an overall improvement to drought conditions in June. Much of the province received near- to above-normal precipitation this month, except for the northwestern coast and parts of the Thompson-Okanagan region. Southern areas saw improvements to drought conditions, particularly across parts of southern Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the Cariboo region. Abnormally Dry (D0) to Severe Drought (D2) conditions were alleviated across the majority of southern British Columbia, except for the southeast corner of the province which saw an expansion of Moderate Drought (D1) conditions from Cranbrook towards the Canada-U.S. border. Southern Vancouver Island, the Lower Mainland and the South Coast saw the removal of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions as short-term precipitation deficits were alleviated. Further inland in the Cariboo region, recent precipitation improved field and pasture conditions and as such, Moderate Drought (D1) was reduced and the pocket of Severe Drought (D2) around Williams Lake and 100 Mile House was removed. Similar improvements to drought conditions were seen across the Thompson-Okanagan region with a reduction to Moderate Drought (D1) and the removal of Severe Drought (D2) around Kelowna.
Northern British Columbia saw slight improvements in drought conditions that led to the reduction of Extreme Drought (D3) and the removal of Exceptional Drought (D4) near Dawson Creek in the Peace region. Wildfire risk across the Northeast was reduced, with the fire danger rated as low to very low across the Peace region at the end of the month. Some communities in Northern B.C saw above-normal precipitation, with Fort St. John recording 145% of normal precipitation for June. There were also reports across the central Interior of improved soil moisture, rising water levels and pastures greening up. This allowed for slight improvement to Extreme Drought (D3) between Prince George and Smithers, with two smaller pockets of D3 remaining due to persisting long-term deficits. This area is still vulnerable to worsening drought conditions, and consistent summer precipitation will be needed to maintain the limited subsoil moisture that is currently present to help with the green up of pastures.
At the end of the month, 78% of the Pacific Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Exceptional Drought (D1 to D4), including 92% of the region’s agricultural landscape.
Prairie Region (AB, SK, MB)
The Prairies received a significant amount of precipitation in June, with most areas recording over 50 mm of precipitation. The exception to this was southern Alberta and southwestern Saskatchewan, which only received 20 to 50 mm of precipitation this month. The Peace region in northwestern Alberta received above-normal precipitation of 65 to 100 mm. Mean monthly temperatures were cooler than normal across the Prairies, except for a small pocket around the Foothills in Alberta where temperatures were closer to normal. The cooler temperatures brought mid-June frost events across localized areas in Alberta.
Variable precipitation fell across Alberta in June. Southeastern and western parts of the province received less than 85% of normal precipitation this month, while the rest of Alberta received near- to above-normal rainfall. Temperatures were cooler than normal across nearly the entire province except for a pocket of near-normal temperatures around the Foothills. Central and northern Alberta continued to see significant improvements to all drought classes this month, especially across northern parts of the province. The Peace region saw the greatest degree of improvement with Extreme Drought (D3) reduced and a pocket of Exceptional Drought (D4) removed. Drought conditions also improved across eastern Alberta where a pocket of Severe Drought (D2) in the Special Areas was removed, and Moderate Drought (D1) east of Lloydminster was reduced. However, western parts of Alberta reported lower than normal precipitation this month, leading to a slight expansion of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions along the Foothills west of Red Deer. Severe Drought (D2) around Red Deer slightly expanded due to growing precipitation deficits and soil reportedly drying out. A small pocket of Severe Drought (D2) also remained in the southwestern corner of the province where monthly precipitation was reported at less than 40% of normal.
Precipitation across Saskatchewan was generally above normal this month with much of the province reporting between 115% to 200% of normal precipitation; only southwestern Saskatchewan reported monthly precipitation of less than 85% of normal. Multiple storms passed through the province in June, bringing rainfall that continued to improve soil moisture across the agricultural extent of the province. Mean monthly temperatures were 2 to 3 degrees below normal, with several communities in northern Saskatchewan recording their top 10 coolest Junes on record. Key Lake recorded its coolest, while North Battleford, La Ronge, Meadow Lake recorded their 5th , 6th and 7th coolest Junes on record, respectively. The cooler June temperatures slowed down crop development, however, recent moisture was sufficient for crop germination. Overall, most of the province continued to recover from longer-term drought impacts. Most lakes and reservoirs in the province were at normal levels for this time of the year, with some reservoirs no longer having to implement anticipated restrictions for irrigation use. Recent precipitation led to drought improvements across much of the province, with only a few pockets of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions remaining across southern Saskatchewan. Lloydminster was drier than normal, however, receiving only 42% of normal precipitation this month. As a result, a small pocket of Moderate Drought (D1) remained around the city. Northern Saskatchewan also saw improvements to drought this month, with significant precipitation falling between Prince Albert towards Reindeer Lake in the northeastern corner of the province. A large area of Abnormally Dry (D0) to Severe Drought (D2) was alleviated, with only a pocket of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions remaining around La Loche and Buffalo Narrows.
Manitoba received near- to above-normal precipitation in June, with most of the province recording 85% to 150% of normal precipitation. Temperatures were slightly cooler than normal this month. Manitoba continued to see improvements to drought, with only a few pockets of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions remaining at the end of June. Ongoing above-normal precipitation continuing from May led to the removal of Moderate Drought (D1) across the province and a significant reduction to areas of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions. Only three pockets of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions remained at the end of June: northeast of Flin Flon, in the west-central region along the Manitoba–Ontario border, and a pocket stretching from The Pas towards Swan River. Southern Manitoba remained drought free, with no reports of impacts from dry conditions but rather, impacts from excess moisture: some farmers reported standing water in lowland areas and fields being left unseeded due to a lack of field access.
At the end of the month, 32% of the Prairie Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Exceptional Drought (D1 to D4), including 32% of the region’s agricultural landscape.
Central Region (ON, QC)
June precipitation was significant across central Ontario and southern Quebec, while drier than normal precipitation was reported in southwestern Ontario and the Gaspé Peninsula in eastern Quebec. The Gaspé Peninsula continued to face dry conditions as much of the areas reported less than 85% of normal precipitation in the past three months. Mean monthly temperatures were generally warmer than normal across the Central region, with northern areas seeing temperatures more than 3 degrees warmer than normal.
Minor changes were made to drought across the Central region this month. In Northwestern Ontario, precipitation alleviated the majority of Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) conditions due to improvements in long-term precipitation deficits. Only three pockets of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions remained: south of James Bay, around Thunder Bay and northwest of Dryden. Southwestern Ontario saw the addition of a small pocket of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions east of Lake Huron due to short-term precipitation deficits forming.
Significant rainfall over the past two months alleviated Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions in southern Quebec. However, the Gaspé Peninsula saw worsening conditions and growing short-term precipitation deficits that led to the expansion of Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions and the addition of a pocket of Moderate Drought (D1) across the St. Lawrence Seaway. A pocket of Abnormally Dry (D0) and Moderate Drought (D1) was also added to the northernmost tip of Quebec as a result of below-normal precipitation in the last 3 months.
At the end of the month, 20% of the Central Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate Drought (D1), including 11% of the region’s agricultural landscape.
Atlantic Region (NS, NL, NB, PEI)
Precipitation in June was near to above normal across much of the Atlantic region, with Prince Edward Island, parts of Nova Scotia and all of Newfoundland reporting between 115 to 150% of normal precipitation. One storm in particular brought 100 to 130 mm of rainfall to localized areas across western P.E.I., with one station recording nearly double their normal June precipitation. Temperatures across Atlantic Canada were above normal this month, with Labrador seeing the warmest temperatures compared to normal. Multiple locations in New Brunswick as well as Newfoundland and Labrador saw record daily and monthly temperature records. A mid-June heat event brought warmer temperatures across the Maritimes with Saint John, New Brunswick recording their third warmest June on record. Additionally, the northern coastline of Labrador recorded temperatures more than 4 degrees above normal. Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions developed across southern Labrador due to short-term precipitation deficits while Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions were alleviated in central New Brunswick due to improvements in short-term precipitation. However, the rest of the province remained in Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions this month along with P.E.I. and southwestern Nova Scotia.
At the end of the month, 29% of the Atlantic Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0), including 65% of the region’s agricultural landscape.
Northern Region (YK, NWT)
Temperatures across Northern Canada were varied in June, with southern Northwest Territories seeing cooler than normal temperatures and parts of the Yukon Territory seeing temperatures more than 2 degrees above normal. The last week of June, in particular, brought very warm temperatures of 6 degrees above normal across the Yukon. Precipitation across the region was lacking this month, with much of central and northern Yukon and NWT recording well below-normal precipitation of less than 25% of normal. Although the Yukon saw extreme thunderstorms in June, these weather systems did not bring significant precipitation but rather more than 25,000 lightning strikes that led to a very active wildfire month. Thunderstorms and dry forest conditions resulted in 86 new wildfires across the central Yukon. The Northern region saw mixture of changes to drought this month, with Abnormally Dry (D0) conditions and Moderate Drought (D1) forming across central parts of the Yukon. Severe (D2) to Extreme Drought (D3) remained in southern NWT but significant monthly rainfall allowed for eastern edges of the territory to reduce Abnormally Dry (D0) to Severe Drought (D2) conditions. Additionally, the NWT saw Abnormally Dry (D0) to Severe Drought (D2) conditions slightly expand northwards towards Great Bear Lake and Nunavut due to the significant dryness reported this month.
At the end of the month, 49% of the Northern Region was classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Extreme Drought (D1 to D3).