Water Supply Outlook for Alberta
September 2005
August 2005 Precipitation |
| Most of southern and central Alberta recorded much above normal precipitation, as did the Fort Chipewyan and Cold Lake areas. West central mountains and foothills and the Fort McMurray and High Level areas recorded generally normal precipitation. The remainder of the province recorded generally below to much below normal precipitation (Figure 1). August precipitation totals are illustrated in Figure 2. |
Summmer Precipitation (May 1, 2005 to August 31, 2005) |
| Most of southern Alberta, the Sundre-Rocky Mountain House region and areas along the entire eastern border with Saskatchewan recorded much above normal precipitation. Normal to above normal precipitation was recorded in the Medicine Hat and Fort McMurray to High Level areas. Below normal to normal precipitation was recorded for the remainder of the province (Figure 3). Summer precipitation totals are illustrated in Figure 4. |
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 5). Winter precipitation totals are illustrated in Figure 6. |
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 7). Fall precipitation totals are illustrated in Figure 8. Soil moisture conditions in agricultural areas of the province, as measured by Alberta Agriculture for October 31, 2004 , can be seen in Figure 9. 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 September 1, 2005 for the September through November 2005 period is for above normal precipitation in northeastern Alberta and in most mountain and foothill areas, below normal precipitation along the southern Saskatchewan border, and normal precipitation for the rest of the province. Above normal temperatures are expected for Alberta for the next three months. The long range forecast for December 2005 to February 2006 is for below normal precipitation for all but the High Level to Fort Chipewyan area where above normal precipitation is 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 August 18, 2005 for September through November 2005 is for below normal precipitation in the southwest corner of the province, and an even chance of above normal, normal, or below normal precipitation and temperature in the remainder of southern Alberta. The NOAA is reporting that ENSO neutral conditions (no El Nino or La Nina) are expected for the next three to six months. 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
