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Cooler-than-normal spring, drought concerns continue for Alberta

OAKVILLE, ON – Alberta, especially us here in the south, are in some serious need of precipitation this spring.

The Weather Network is out with its 2021 Spring Forecast for the country.

After this week, it indicates we could see cooler periods during March, April, and May for this area with above average precipitation for some places, which is good news. The not-so-good news is that might not be enough to alleviate a serious lack of precipitation.

Forecaster Brad Rousseau tells our radio station that after a very dry winter, southern Alberta’s in desperate need of wetter weather.

“Whether that’s enough (precipitation) to overcome these drought conditions it’s tough to say,” says Rousseau. “We really need a steady bout of precipitation for you guys to break that drought. Unfortunately, drought tends to create more drought. It just kind of prolongs that pattern as well.”

As we can see on the map below, the only areas in the province expecting to see damper conditions this spring along the Rocky Mountains and extreme southwest Alberta.

As for temperatures, Rousseau says most of western Canada is expected to see conditions tipping to the cooler side this spring.

“Early March we will see these above seasonal temperatures, but as we hit mid-March and through the rest of the spring we expect that kind of cool trend to prevail. We do expect to see normal amounts of precipitation across much of the province (with the exception of the areas in the above map),” Rousseau stated Monday.

As for the rest of the country, The Weather Network says central and Atlantic Canada will see normal and above normal temperatures, respectively, but even these regions should still expect some parting shots from winter.

Patrick Siedlecki
Patrick Siedlecki
Pat has been a mainstay in the CJOC News department from the time the station launched in 2007. He's been in the position of News Director since then and has been anchoring daily news casts as well as reporting and working behind the scenes. Community is important to him and keeping CJOC listeners and readers informed about what's happening across southern Alberta and beyond. Pat has been in radio broadcasting for the past 24 years, starting in Port Alberni on Vancouver Island in 1997 and then moving up island to Nanaimo for another few years before heading to Lethbridge in 2007. Pat grew up in the small Saskatchewan farming town of Foam Lake. After high school, he went to Western Academy Broadcasting College (WABC) in Saskatoon prior to moving to the island. Pat also spent several years broadcasting hockey in the BCHL as well as seven years as the radio voice of the Lethbridge Hurricanes in the WHL. Pat has been working at Cornerstone Funeral Home in Lethbridge as a Certified Life Celebrant and Funeral Assistant since 2016. News and sports have always been Pat's passion from the time he was a teenager and he's always been grateful to have had the opportunity to make that part of what's been a fun and long radio career!
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