Wetter than normal conditions are expected like Sask. WSA Releases Freeze Report | The Canadian News

It could be more humid than normal in the coming months in parts of Saskatchewan.

However, the Saskatchewan Water Safety Agency (WSA) said Wednesday that even if there is an above-normal snow cover, there is likely to be an above-normal runoff.

The agency said it is due to the dry conditions during the freeze.

Minimal runoff last spring, followed by a mostly hot and dry summer, has left many agricultural areas of the province with conditions drier than normal.

Conditions are drier in the Saskatoon area, extending into Rosetown, Leader, and the Maple Creek area.

Soil capacity and storage capacity within wetland areas will be higher, reducing the risk of higher-than-normal runoff in the spring, the WSA said.

The Saskatoon region is currently under an exceptional drought, according to the Drought Monitor of Canada.

An exceptional drought represents conditions that historically appear in less than two years out of 100.

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The WSA is painting a similar picture of runoff for the north.

Northern Saskatchewan received subnormal rainfall during the 2021 growing season, but that was mitigated by wet conditions beginning in 2020.

This caused water levels to remain high for the first half of the year before dropping to near normal and starting to freeze, the WSA reported.

Winter flows in the northern area are expected to continue to fall slightly below normal over the course of winter, the agency added.

The first models published by the WSA indicate that the central and northern parts of the province could have more humid conditions than normal between December and March 2022.

The rest of the province should have almost normal rainfall during the same time period.

The WSA uses freezing conditions, in combination with winter snow cover, to provide an early indication of the areas most vulnerable to above or below normal runoff.

The WSA will issue the first spring runoff report in February 2022.