Prairie Canada
SASKATCHEWAN
Precipitation in the summer of 2010 was well above normal, and most wetlands were full going into fall. The above normal precipitation also ensured that topsoil in agricultural areas was saturated going into fall freeze-up. Winter snow conditions remain above normal across most of the agricultural region of the province. Currently, snow amounts range from 60 to 80 cm in agricultural fields, and drifts are as high as 180 cm. As of March 21, a storm front is expected to dump an additional 20-25 cm of snow in the southern parts of the province. Temperatures have remained below normal for March, with only a few days above 0 C, so melting is only just beginning. All of these factors should lead to very wet conditions this spring, across the entire province.
A few pairs of Canada geese have been sighted in areas with open water, such as along the South Saskatchewan River, but there are few waterfowl in the province. The saturated soil conditions will make it difficult for producers to access their fields in spring, and there will likely be a number of unseeded acres, similar to 2010.
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