The drought designation continues
Photo: Agriculture and Agrifoods Canada
Two small pockets around Kelowna and Salmon Arm are still in moderate drought.
Parts of the Okanagan are still in moderate drought despite an unusually wet spring and early summer.
The latest Canadian Drought Monitor report from Agriculture and Agrifoods Canada shows that most of the area from the Canada-US border north of Kamloops is still unusually dry.
The June 30, 2022 report also shows two pockets of moderate drought, in the Kelowna area and in and around Salmon Arm. The South Okanagan is no longer in moderate drought.
The only other part of the province that is unusually dry covers the western slopes of the Rockies from the border to just north of Golden.
The drought watch report notes that much of British Columbia has seen above-normal precipitation, but the area of greatest long-term moisture deficit remains near Kamloops and in the Okanagan. However, the abnormally dry region is decreasing in size, as are pockets of moderate drought.
The report said initial flooding concerns from snowmelt in June appeared to have dissipated, but flows remained near above normal for the end of the month.
As of June 30, six percent of the Pacific region was considered abnormally dry or in moderate drought, including twenty-one percent of the region’s agricultural landscape.
In the summer of 2021, during the heat dome and devastating wildfires, part of the Okanagan was believed to be in extreme drought.
Agriculture is the number one user of water in the Okanagan, and extended periods of dry weather can cause crop damage and water shortages for livestock.
The Prairie region remains the nation’s driest in 2022, but was helped by heavy rain in the Calgary area last month.
All extreme drought designations were lifted in southern Alberta except for a small pocket near the US-Alberta border, and only two pockets of severe drought remained in southern Alberta.
Photo: Agriculture and Agrifoods Canada
Areas considered abnormally dry and in moderate drought have shrunk between May and June.
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