Alerts issued as extreme drought expands across Atlantic Canada
Much of the region has fallen into an ‘extreme’ to ‘exceptional’ drought over the past couple of months
A serious lack of rainfall across Atlantic Canada in recent months has pushed drought conditions to critical levels throughout the region.
The latest update of the Canadian Drought Monitor found that 99 per cent of Atlantic Canada started October abnormally dry or in a drought, including 100 per cent of the region’s agricultural lands.
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Extreme and exceptional drought spread over Atlantic Canada
Every square metre of the Maritimes and Newfoundland started October in a full-blown drought. Only a few sections of Labrador managed to escape drought conditions.
Exceptional drought, the worst category on the scale, settled over the Bay of Fundy shores as of Sept. 30.
Prince Edward Island, as well as Newfoundland’s Avalon Peninsula, are now mired in extreme drought conditions, with no improvement made to either region’s situation during the month of September.
Episodes of rain were few and far between
While recent rains offered some short-term improvements, we’ve failed to see any significant relief from the worsening aridity across Atlantic Canada. The region is now experiencing North America’s worst drought conditions east of the Rocky Mountains.
The period between July and September was the driest ever recorded in several communities, including in:
Amherst, N.S., where only 70.4 mm of rain fell;
Greenwood, N.S., which only saw 65.4 mm of rain;
Summerside, P.E.I., with only 97.8 mm of rain during the three-month period
Worsening drought has taken a toll on the region’s agricultural industry. Crops are stressed and farmers are facing reduced yields due to the lack of rainfall. Some of the crops hit hardest, according to the Canadian Drought Monitor, include apples, corn, blueberries, pumpkins, and potatoes.
The dearth of precipitation here is so significant that some small waterways have dried up in Nova Scotia, and mandatory water restrictions are in effect in and around Dartmouth.
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The community of Hughes Brooks, Newfoundland, recently declared a state of emergency due to its water levels running critically low.
“The State of Emergency and Water Conservation Order remain in effect to ensure levels don’t drop significantly over the Thanksgiving weekend,” the town said on Facebook on Friday.
Ridges, tropics have kept the region dry
Why haven’t we seen much rain throughout the eastern third of the country over the past few months?
Persistent ridges of high pressure suppressed shower and thunderstorm development while deflecting the active storm track away from the region.
The tropics also serve as a significant resource for summertime rain along the East Coast. None of this year’s 11 named storms have approached Atlantic Canada. The basin’s hurricane season runs through the end of November, so there’s still time for future storms to affect the region.
Header image created using graphics and imagery from Canva.