(File photo/paNOW Staff)

By Michael Joel-Hansen

weather conditions

May and June in P.A. see wetter than normal conditions

Jul 8, 2020 | 2:47 PM

Prince Albert and area have seen wetter than normal conditions for the past few months.

Terri Lang, a meteorologist with Environment and Climate Change Canada said the city and surrounding area saw above average rainfall in both May and June.

“May was above average, 88 millimetres fell and the 30-year average for rainfall in Prince Albert areas is 41.5, so over double,” she said.

In June, Lang said P.A. saw 94 millimetres of rain with the 30-year average being 68.6. So far this month she said the area has seen 13 millimetres of rain.

P.A. and area is not the only part of Saskatchewan which has seen wetter than normal conditions. Lang explained there is currently a band running through the central part of the province stretching from Meadow Lake to P.A., which also includes Hudson Bay and Carrot River seeing similar conditions.

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“Those areas have been consistently receiving more rainfall just because that’s where the low-pressure systems have been tracking over the last couple months,” she said.

Lang added they have been seeing a change from the current pattern as the weather season is starting to change as summer weather systems tend to be different from the ones coming through during the spring.

“They have more embedded thunder showers and that type a thing which are very much a hit and miss thing,” she said.

Looking forward Lang said long range forecasts, which are highly speculative, are currently showing the summer to be a wet and cool one.

The wet conditions have had an impact on farmers in the Rural Municipality of Garden River north west of the city. Reeve Ryan Scragg said much of the RM has received excessive amounts of rain.

“At home I’ve received around 12 inches of rain so far, which on an average year would be more like maybe six by now, we’re double the amount of normal,” he said.

Scragg said the rain has had an effect on farmers in the area and made it challenging for some to spray crops, while others have land underwater.

The conditions have as well posed challenges for the RM in doing maintenance work on roads. Scragg added some roads are getting damaged by the excess water.

Going forward the reeve said if they get anymore rain it could cause further issues.

“Any extra rainfall that comes now has to run off, it can’t be pooled on the fields, so it’s going to go downstream and that always gives the potential for damage to infrastructure,” Scragg said.

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MichaelJoel.Hansen@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @mjhskcdn