The Queen City is starting off the new year in an extreme drought.
It was the second driest year ever recorded in Regina with 61 per cent less moisture than normal in 2017. The driest year on record was in 1885, when the city recorded 68 per cent less precipitation than normal.
The driest month in the city was July, with only two millimeters of rainfall and 97 per cent less than the monthly normal. Typically 14 centimetres of snow covers the ground by the end of December, but this year there was barely a trace, making for a brown Christmas in the city.
Top 10 driest years in Regina
1st = 125 mm in 1885
2nd = 151 mm in 2017
3rd = 159 mm in 1894
4th = 204 mm in 1893
5th = 209 mm in 1961
6th = 219 mm in 1937
7th = 221 mm in 1917
8th = 237 mm 1897
9th = 252 mm in 1915
10th = 256 mm in 1957
READ MORE: Mild air causes big melt in southern Saskatchewan
According to the Canadian Drought Monitor, a small region in south central Saskatchewan, including Regina, Eastend and Weyburn are in an extreme drought. There are exceptional drought conditions in the Coronach, Horse Creek and Assiniboia areas.
The severe weather season in Saskatchewan was a bit slower than usual, with fewer heavy rain and tornado events.
Moose Jaw had their driest year ever in 2017 with 59 per cent of their normal moisture and this year was the second driest for Swift Current, with only 55 per cent of their normal precipitation.
READ MORE: Sporadic start to 2017 in Regina: Cold snaps and warming trends
Although 2017 started and ended in a deep freeze, Regina’s annual average temperature was slightly above the normal of 3.1 degrees. The year 2016 was the third warmest on record, with the annual average temperature surpassing the normal by two degrees.
Last year, there was a 74 degree difference between the highest and lowest recorded temperatures in the city.
READ MORE: Dry conditions loom over quality of next year’s crops
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