Farmers across Manitoba found themselves booted out of their fields over the weekend.
A massive low-pressure system sat over Manitoba for much of the day May 24 and into the morning May 25, drenching province and leaving fields in western Manitoba buried again under snow.
South-central Manitoba, near the Winkler-Morden area, was the unfortunate epicentre of the storm in terms of sheer precipitation volume. Data from Environment and Climate Change Canada showed 86 millimetres of accumulated rain.
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Much of the rest of the province also received a good soaking. Portage la Prairie received 64 mm; Carberry received 54 mm, Brandon received 39 mm, Arborg received 29 mm, and Winnipeg received 27 mm of rainfall.
Winter seemed to return to the western part of the province, with a swatch of the region reporting snow accumulations of over 20 centimetres. Environment and Climate Change Canada reported snow 25-cm deep at the International Peace Gardens south of Boissevain. In the higher elevations of Riding Mountain National Park, 18 cm of snow was observed.
It’s a stark contrast from drought worries earlier this season. Scant snowfall over the winter had many concerned about lack of groundwater recharge this spring.
April and May, however, have seen precipitation levels well above normal.
Forecasts had more rain on the way in the last week of May, as crop insurance deadlines loom for some warm-season crops.
Look for more on what this means for farmers across the province in next week’s Co-operator.
