Dry ‘mega-drought’ here to stay for May, says climatologist

As the wind blows, the dust swirls and the sun beats down on the prairies, Regina is likely to set a record for May, with no rain in the forecast for the rest of the month and minimal precipitation having fallen on the city.

That’s according to Environment Canada senior climatologist David Phillips.

“People really need the rain. It’s not an urban-rural thing; it’s almost as if nature has forgotten how to precipitate on the prairies,” he said Thursday.

Regina has already set another no-rain record this year: March was recorded as the driest month ever, with just 0.8 millimetres of precipitation falling on the city.

Speaking on the 980 CJME Greg Morgan Morning Show, Phillips said the prairies have been dealing with a lack of rain for about the last three years.

He called it a “mega-drought.”

“You have to have a year’s worth of rain just to bring you back to normal (for) the deficit that has accumulated over that long stretch of time,” he said of the prairies.

“Over the last 2 1/2, three years, it has just been absolutely nothing … Even when it rains, it’s just enough to keep the dust down; it’s not a soaking kind of rain that would help to give everything a drink of water.”

Looking ahead to June and July, Phillips said he’s hopeful those two months give some relief, because they’re typically the wettest months on the prairies.

“One hopes that the jet stream, which is why June is the wettest month, crosses the prairies (with precipitation),” he said.