this article comes from the Assiniboine River Basin Initiative

New data from Environment and Climate Change Canada paints a striking picture of Canada’s Prairies in it’s recently released snow water equivalent maps. The map pictured below is from early April.

The brown area in the photo is very concerning because it means virtually zero to no snowpack in an expanse that extends across the Prairies, said Tricia Stadnyk, a professor and Canada Research Chair in hydrologic modelling with the University of Calgary’s Schulich School of Engineering.

“It’s highly unlikely that we can avoid drought at this point. Because without the snowpack, we don’t have the soil moisture, which means that the ground is dry,” she said.

“That’s going to have a significant impact on agriculture.”