LETHBRIDGE, AB. – That rain we had Sunday night was a welcomed sight after what’s been weeks and weeks of dry weather.
Unfortunately, we’re going to need a long stretch of precipitation to make a big difference. To put things into perspective, during the entire month of March, Lethbridge recorded just 4.8 mm of precipitation.
For the first three months of 2021, this region had just 12.1 mm of snow and/or rainfall. That’s substantially below normal.
There’s a chance we could see a shower or two later this week, but after Thursday it looks like things will stay fairly dry across much of southern Alberta for the most part for a while.
Meanwhile, this ongoing lack of precipitation is cause for concern, especially following a number of wind-whipped grass fires over the past two weeks.
Lethbridge County issued a complete burning ban late last week and a few other rural areas have since followed suit. Fire bans are now in effect in the MD of Willow Creek and Vulcan County as well as Wheatland County and Rocky View County in the Calgary area.
The only two regions in southern Alberta not currently under any open burning restrictions are Cardston County and County of Warner.
The potential for wildfires is extreme. Within all areas under fire bans, all fire permits are cancelled and no new ones will be issued until further notice.
You’re asked to be extra careful in these conditions, especially when it comes to discarding cigarettes and other smoking materials.
For a full list on fire bans, advisories, and restrictions click this link: Alberta Fire Bans
