Farmers and meteorologists say record rainfall in southeast Sask. could help growing season

Chris Edwards · CBC News

· Posted: May 19, 2025 6:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours ago

Farmers and upwind observers successful southeast Saskatchewan accidental past week's record-breaking rainfall could beryllium a boon for this year's increasing season. 

On May 15 and 16 a tempest brought important rainfall to the southeastern country of the province, with immoderate communities receiving implicit 100 millimetres of rainfall successful 48 hours. 

"What we saw was a processing debased unit strategy that crossed done Montana and stalled retired fundamentally close implicit the cardinal portions of North Dakota," said Environment and Climate Change Canada meteorologist Eric Dykes.

"It moved each the moisture up from the southeast up done the United States's midwestern states, pushed it up into Manitoba, and retrograded backmost towards southeastern portions of Saskatchewan wherever it fundamentally conscionable benignant of sat determination implicit respective days."

According to the authorities of Canada upwind service, Estevan received implicit 70 millimetres of rain, portion Maryfield and Esterhazy, 2 communities adjacent to the southeastern borderline with Manitoba, saw 59 millimetres and 47 millimetres. 

The work besides reported that unpaid upwind observers had reported adjacent to 100 millimetres of rainfall successful Kenosee Lake, and 108 millimetres successful Radville, a assemblage 100 kilometres northwest of Estevan. 

Moisture volition assistance famers

Trevor Hadwen, an agro-climate specializer from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, said that the added moisture from the rainfall volition payment farmers, particularly those who have already seeded their crops.

"We've seen drops successful our ungraded moisture close crossed the province, starring to a small spot much interest than we did astatine the extremity of past month," helium said connected May 14.

"But surely inactive successful the country of overmuch much affirmative outlook than we've seen successful the past fig of years for the province."

As of April 30, portion not successful authoritative drought conditions, respective areas on the confederate borderline of the state were classified arsenic abnormally dry. The pursuing 2 weeks saw precise small rain, adding to the deficiency of moisture but besides allowing immoderate farmers to effect their crops earlier the rainfall began.

"Areas that person been seeded already volition payment greatly from the precipitation that we've seen," said Hadwen. "Precipitation besides slows down that seeding a small bit. So producers that inactive haven't got it retired successful the fields and had constricted seeding done, mostly successful the southbound oregon connected the northeastern country of the province, they're the furthest behind."

"Areas down that southwest country that are astir precocious and seeding truly privation this moisture close now."

Jason Leblanc, who grows chiefly grains and lipid seeds extracurricular of Estevan and who got his seeding done early, said the rainfall couldn't person travel astatine a amended time. He said his workplace received around 90 millimetres over the people of Thursday and Friday.

"It was a cleanable rain," helium said. "We don't privation immoderate much of it. We of people privation that again successful astir 3 weeks, but we tin grip that benignant of rain."

"For the past 4 years we've been seeding a small spot earlier with the El Niño effect. And past this year, the prediction was we would effect a spot earlier and get immoderate moisture. And that's precisely what happened." 

Saskatchewan's main increasing play begins successful precocious May and runs astir 100 days until mid-September.

"The past 2 years person been beauteous adust for us. Even if we got the moisture, we were getting specified agelong spells of prima oregon heat, it was conscionable excessively hot. It would pain the flowers off," helium said. 

"Right astatine this point, we're sitting close wherever we privation to be."