Alberta (Rural Roots Canada) – It’s been an up-and-down year for farm weather and moisture levels in the province.

Rural Roots Canada Meteorologist David Spence took a look back at the different conditions and how they impacted the farms and ranches throughout southern and central Alberta.

Southern Alberta

You’ll remember a scary situation early in the year, at the start of spring.

Southern Alberta experienced Extreme to Exceptional Drought conditions. Fields and even some riverbeds were bone dry, and reservoir levels were at historic lows.

That all changed in May when drought-stricken areas were swamped with rainfall that soaked deep into the soil, providing a strong start to the growing season. So much rain fell that soil moisture levels in some fields achieved once in 12 to 25-year highs.

However, the rainfall was not evenly distributed, and some areas continued to face moisture deficits, especially when dryer weather returned through the summer.

Overall, it was a good harvest, with crop yields in southern Alberta about 112 percent higher than the five-year average. The only downside was that that the dry summer resulted in only 29 percent of subsurface soil moisture in southern Alberta, which was being rated good to excellent.

The exception to this was southwestern Alberta, the rolling farmland of the foothills west of Highway 2 toward Pincher Creek. That area received less than 85 percent of normal precipitation in May, while the rest of the province was soaked.

To this day, the area remains very dry. There hasn’t been much snow, and what snow was once on the ground a month and a half ago has disappeared. Snow is collecting in the mountains, and there will be runoff. However, more than any other area of Alberta, the southwest will be very dependent on spring rain for the 2025 planting season.

READ MORE: Prairie Weather This Week – Dec 30

Central Alberta

Central Alberta was not as lucky as the rest of the province.

While most areas received healthy doses of rain, central Alberta suffered drought all year.

The year began with concerns over drought, notably low soil moisture levels. This raised concerns about the growing season, which was so dry that it threatened crop germination and pasture growth.

In May, there was rain, plenty of rain in Eastern Alberta, which received more than 200 percent of its monthly rainfall.  Was it enough?  Yes and no.  That early spring rain came just in time for planting and germination.  However, the moisture fell mainly in eastern regions, and it remained dry elsewhere, particularly along the Highway 2 corridor between Red Deer and Edmonton.

Then, it got dry again—all across central Alberta. The summer months were abnormally dry, with precipitation levels well below normal. The dryness posed challenges for crop maturation and pasture vitality, necessitating careful water management strategies by farmers and ranchers.

Into the fall, drought conditions persisted in central Alberta, with long-term precipitation deficits continuing. Although some areas received above-normal precipitation in November, it was insufficient to replenish soil moisture levels fully. This ongoing dryness affected soil moisture reserves, which are crucial for the next planting season and for maintaining pasture health for livestock.

As mentioned, other parts of the province enjoyed more beneficial rainfall. Drought conditions were greatly eased in southern Alberta, with the exception of the southwestern foothills near Pincher Creek. There, like in central Alberta, rainfall levels were below average, and the area remains in drought. However, some parts of southern Alberta received so much spring rain that soil moisture levels reached 12- —to 25-year highs.

Central Alberta did not have such luck. Alberta Agriculture says a large strip of land from Edson to the US border remains very dry. The driest areas are west of Red Deer, where less than 50% of the average precipitation has fallen in the past three months. The lands around Sundre are especially dry.

Winter is a rather dry season in Alberta, but we get our biggest storms in the spring and fall. Typically, we don’t get enough moisture between now and the end of March to impact the moisture deficit significantly. However, if La Nina produces the excessive snow it’s known for, there may be some hope.

The success of the 2025 planting season in central Alberta will depend on the snowpack and spring rain. A gradual melt in the spring will prevent the snow from evaporating, and spring rain will be crucial to a successful start to the next season.