Alberta drought could be worse than in the 1920s, 1930s. The Oldman River reservoir in southern Alberta was, in mid-May, at 42 per cent capacity when it’s usually between 65 per cent and 87 per cent

3 comments

1. For months, Albertans have been worrying about what the unusually dry winter with low levels of snowfall and a summer forecast of light rain. Would it mean dying lawns and wilted flowers? An agriculture disaster? A bad wildfire season?

   The past few years have been dry, but it’s been almost 25 years since Alberta has been this dry. Some counties have announced states of agricultural emergency. During the last major drought, in 2001–2002, net farm income was zero. It cost the Canadian economy $5.3 billion and 41,000 people lost their jobs across the country.

   In April, Alberta got rain. In fact, the rainfall was above normal for that time of year in much of the province — with the exceptions of central and northwestern Alberta — according to an analysis of drought conditions from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada.

2. Farmers in Alberta are planting lentils because of a lack of water. This will drive down the price of lentils.

   I’m calling it now: McDaal

3. Yes, as has been foretold for the last 40 years