Water Supply Outlook for Alberta
April 2005
March 2005 Precipitation |
| Northwest Alberta, north of Peace River, recorded below to much below normal precipitation for the month of March.The rest of northern Alberta and west central Alberta recorded precipitation ranging from normal to above normal. Southern Alberta and the rest of central Alberta recorded generally below to much below normal precipitation with the major exceptions of the Medicine Hat-Cypress Hills and Lloydminster areas which recorded much above normal precipitation. Mountain areas recorded below normal precipitation. (Figure 1). March precipitation totals are illustrated in Figure 2. |
Winter Precipitation (November 1, 2004 to March 31, 2005) |
| Northern and west central Alberta recorded normal winter precipitation with the exceptions of the High Level and Red Deer-Sundre areas which recorded above normal precipitation. North central, central and southern plains areas of Alberta recorded much below normal precipitation with the exceptions of the Medicine Hat-Cypress Hills area which recorded normal winter precipitation. In the mountains, Jasper National Park recorded normal precipitation, while Banff National Park recorded below normal to normal precipitation and mountain areas to the south recorded below normal precipitation (Figure 3). Winter precipitation totals are illustrated in Figure 4. |
Fall Precipitation (September 1 to October 31, 2004) |
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Much above normal precipitation was recorded in a band across the province from Peace River and Jasper to Cold Lake, whereas northeastern Alberta recorded normal precipitation and the northwestern corner of the province recorded below normal precipitation. Most of southern Alberta recorded below normal to normal precipitation except in Rocky Mountain House, High River, and Claresholm where much above normal precipitation occurred, and the Drumheller, Brooks, and Medicine Hat areas where much below normal precipitation was recorded (Figure 5). Fall precipitation totals are illustrated in Figure 6. Soil moisture conditions in agricultural areas of the province, as measured by Alberta Agriculture for October 31, 2004 , can be seen in Figure 7. Soil moisture generally ranges from normal to well above normal in southern and western Alberta, with the most notable exceptions being in the High Level and Edson areas, which range from below normal to extreme deficit. Much of east central Alberta is classified as having below to well below normal soil moisture. |
Long-Lead Precipitation Outlook |
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Environment Canada's long-lead forecast for Alberta issued on April 1, 2005 for the April through June 2005 period is for below normal precipitation in all but east central Alberta, where normal precipitation is expected. Warmer than normal temperatures are forecast for all but southwestern Alberta, where normal temperatures are expected. Environment Canada's long-lead precipitation outlook is available from their website located at: http://weatheroffice.ec.gc.ca/saisons/index_e.html. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) long-lead forecasts issued on March 17, 2005 for April through June 2005 is for an even chance of above normal, normal, or below normal precipitation and temperature in southern Alberta. The NOAA is reporting that this winter's weak El Nino conditions continue to gradually diminish and should end by mid-summer, after which neutral conditions are expected at least until fall. NOAA's long-lead precipitation outlook is available from their website located at: http://www.cpc.ncep.noaa.gov/products/predictions/90day/ |
For technical enquires about this web page please contact Alberta Environment - Environmental Management Water Management Operations Branch at AENV-WebWS@gov.ab.ca
