The season is young and off to a hot start for the Jones family farm east of Airdrie. They’ve been dealing with drought conditions for years, and this spring, at first glance, appears to be much of the same.
“If it stays warm and stays windy the moisture profile will dry down and we could have some challenges. But we’re hoping to get some timely rain,” said Allen Jones.
“We’re all dryland here. No irrigation. So all hope and faith.”
Area firefighters are echoing drought concerns, with restrictions and advisories lighting up Alberta’s fire ban map on Monday.
“Because we haven’t had that green up and the fuels are still there, they’re very dry and ready to go and just waiting for that ignition source,” said Dave McMahon, deputy fire chief with Rocky View County.
Calgary saw just six millimetres of precipitation in the month of April. That’s well below the Environment Canada average of 15 millimetres for the same month.