Hot, dry weather in Manitoba this year 'quite serious' for farmers, firefighters
'We need to be patient for those spring rains,' agroclimate specialist says
Hotter and drier conditions in Manitoba could put the province's farmers and firefighters to the test this year, a climatologist says.
Canada's first heat warning of 2025 has hit southern Manitoba and Saskatchewan with unusual intensity and length, breaking records in some areas.
Monday broke a 67-year-old heat record in Winnipeg, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada. Several cities and towns outside of Manitoba's capital also recorded new daytime highs on Sunday, including Steinbach, Portage la Prairie, Melita and Emerson.
David Phillips, a climatologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada, says the four-day heat wave is astonishing given the normal temperature this time of year is 19 C. Historically, the province has experienced about half a day with temperatures above the 30 C mark in May.
"These are record-breaking days," he said.
The good news is that there's rain in the forecast, he said, with systems from North and South Dakota expected to bring "fairly widespread rain" to Manitoba later this week.
However, Phillips says that rainfall is "not going to be the saviour," with the coming months calling for above-normal temperatures and below-normal precipitation — things that could spell dry conditions and trouble for firefighters.
"Even if you've got normal rainfall, it's not going to help you when you've got this heat that's evaporating every bead of moisture that exists there in the ground and from the vegetation. It's just being sucked right out," he said.
"So this is quite serious."
Manitoba's fairly significant early wildfire season, though, is not a good indicator of drought conditions or soil moisture, according to Trevor Hadwen, an agroclimate specialist with Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.
He says precipitation last fall left farmers in good shape, and now they're making good time on seeding.
A 20 per cent water content in the soil is the provincial average, he said, with some areas in the 30s and 40s.
"As soon as we start dropping down below 15 per cent, that's where we get a little bit more concerned. We are seeing some of those values in the southwest corner up near Swan River, and certainly a little bit through that central region of the Interlake," he said.
"I'm not too concerned right now. We need to be patient for those spring rains."
While Manitoba has seen a number of grass fires in recent days, Hadwen says those aren't a telltale sign of dry conditions.
"Typically those aren't necessarily a real good indication of how much the province is in drought, because it's dead grass and dead vegetative material burning."
As for mosquitoes, the heat wave doesn't mean Winnipeg will be free from insects buzzing around this spring and summer, the city says.
The spring species had enough snowmelt for breeding, and the summer species is counting on the next rainfall expected on Thursday, a spokesperson told CBC News.
With files from Rosanna Hempel