Alberta soil moisture

From Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development

As of May 1, 2011, soil moisture reserves were generally at least near normal or better across much of the province, with only a few areas of the province classified as below normal.
.
Ralph Wright, head of Alberta Agriculture and Rural Development’s soil moisture unit, has recently posted a soil moisture map to the AgroClimatic Information Service (ACIS).

The recent soil moisture map shows that:

• south of TransCanada Hwy, many areas have soil moisture reserves that are estimated to be at more than 1-in-25 year highs
• west of Hwy 2 from Edmonton down to the U.S. border, soil moisture reserves are also generally well above normal with several areas estimated to be at more than 1-in-25 year highs
• throughout most of central and northern Alberta, soil moisture reserves are variable, ranging from a pocket of 1-in-12 year lows just south of the City of, to 1-in-6 year highs through the Lloydminster area. In many of the drier parts of this area, producers saw well above normal precipitation during last year’s growing season and, as a result, they are generally optimistic
• across the Peace Region, a return to normal-like precipitation patterns over the winter saw near normal to only slightly below normal snow pack accumulations for many areas. This along with a slow melt have helped to give soil moisture reserves a boost, but many areas still remain below normal for this time of year.

To view this soil moisture map, visit http://www1.agric.gov.ab.ca/$Department/deptdocs.nsf/All/cl13291