The Canadian prairies are in a tug of war between drought and flooding.
The recent drought monitor update from Ag Canada shows most of southern Alberta is in need of rain, but southeastern Saskatchewan and southern Manitoba have improved drastically.
In fact, some of the eastern prairies have had more snow this season than they have had in years. A blizzard hitting the area right now threatens a flood. An emergency coordinator explains the biggest threat for the Red River Valley.
“The one thing that we’re going to facing now is power outages. If we start getting them, then that’s going to be a whole different ballgame. So, we’re just maintaining all of our drainage, making sure that everything’s running properly and the ditches are flowing as best as we can right now. We haven’t seen this amount of snow, and this type of thaw, and just the way it’s been draining this year. So, it’s a little bit of a reminder what a norm is for here.”
The Red River is currently flowing at much higher levels than this time last year.
Related:
Canada’s prairies are in desperate need of rain
Drought See-Saw: Some areas saw relief and some are still thirsty
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