Farmers are watching the skies hoping those April showers will soon appear. This past winter was dry and warm affecting central and southern Alberta particularly.
According to Environmemt Canada, February was the third-driest month in some areas of Alberta, and one farmer reported just a single centimetre of snow on his farm during the month of March.
just a single centimetre of snow… during the month of March
Debbie Marsh and her husband Murray run a grain and cattle farm near Carstairs, Alberta. “It would be ideal if we could get some moisture now.” she told CBC News.
Record-breaking high temperatures over the prairies these past few days are not helping. “There doesn’t seem to be a lot of moisture forecast in the short term and they said we could reach 20 degrees … that’s pretty warm for the first couple of days in April,” Murray said.
“Those warmer than average temperatures are just weighing on the fact that moisture is marginal.”
Their herd of 120 cows, some of them “very pregnant,” Murray said, may soon be affected. With more mouths to feed the weather over the next couple of weeks will be crucial in providing enough food for the animals.
“If we don’t get the moisture prior to mid-April, it starts to limit the amount of grass and forage we’ll get,” he said.
The short-term forecast doesn’t indicate much rain, but Environment Canada meteorologist, Kirk Torneby, said the situation should improve by mid-April and beyond..
“Early indications, although confidence is not particularly high, is showing near-normal or slightly more than normal precipitation, especially for the southern part of the Prairies,” he said.
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