Water Supply Outlook for Alberta
May 2005
April 2005 Precipitation |
| Much below normal precipitation was recorded in most of western and southern Alberta, except in the High Level and Cypress Hills (south of Medicine Hat) areas where above to much above normal precipitation occurred. A mid month storm event in east central Alberta resulted in normal to above normal precipitation being recorded in an area bounded by Wainwright, Coronation, and Camrose. In northeastern Alberta, precipitation was generally normal except in an area north of Fort McMurray which was much above normal (Figure 1). April precipitation totals are illustrated in Figure 2. |
Winter Precipitation (November 1, 2004 to April 30, 2005) |
| Most of northern and west central Alberta recorded below normal to normal winter precipitation. A few exceptions being small areas north of Fort McMurray and east of Red Deer, the town of Peace River, and the High Level region, where above normal to much above normal precipitation was recorded, and the area between Slave Lake, Edmonton, and Lac La Biche where much below normal precipitation was recorded. East central and southern plains areas of Alberta recorded much below normal precipitation with the exceptions of the Medicine Hat and Lloydminster areas where normal precipitation was recorded, and the Cypress Hills which recorded above normal winter precipitation. In the mountains, below normal to normal precipitation was recorded, with one exception being the Sunshine area (southwest of Banff) which recorded much above 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 May 1, 2005 for the May through July 2005 period is for below normal precipitation in Alberta. Normal to above normal temperatures are expected for west central and northernmost Alberta, and below normal temperatures are forecast for the remainder of the province. 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 April 21, 2005 for May through July 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 should dissipate to neutral for the June through August period. 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
