The drought risk map for 2024 as released by the Saskatchewan Water Security Agency this week. Dark brown denotes "extreme risk," red "high risk" and blue "low risk."--Supplied Image
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Southwest Saskatchewan is at high risk of another drought year in 2024, according to that province’s water security agency.
There is “concern of surface water supply issues in the southwest if winter snowfall is below average,” reads the summary of conditions at freeze-up, published this week.
“In some cases, an above-normal snowpack would be required to stave off extremely dry conditions.”
Much of the southwest – areas around Leader, Maple Creek and Consul – received as little as 40 per cent of normal precipitation this fall following a dry summer.
Most major reservoirs in the south of the province are approaching normal level however, with the exception of Lake Diefenbaker. That body of water on the South Saskatchewan River will be monitored closely alongside the snowpack in the Alberta headwaters until the start of runoff season in March.
That leads to little concern about excessive water in spring run-off (the outlook for 2024 will be published in February).
A compilation of long-term forecasts “suggest near normal precipitation and above normal temperatures through the winter months over much of the province.”
“A long-term El Niño pattern has developed, which typically means a drier and warmer winter for Saskatchewan.”
