Drier than normal over most of Saskatchewan in 2020

December was dry in Saskatchewan, continuing a pattern that stretched over much of the year.

Moose Jaw had its lowest precipitation in 104 years of record keeping. The 179.6 millimetres was just under half of the city’s normal precipitation. Estevan, Swift Current and Regina nearly set records as well—all were between 50 and 60 percent of normal precipitation.

Central regions had higher numbers with Saskatoon (84 percent) and Prince Albert (91 percent) of normal precipitation. North Battleford bucked the trend and end up above normal (130 percent). The reason was a major rainfall event on July 7th and 8th.

“They had over 150 millimetres of rain, which heavily biased the numbers,” said Terri Lang, an Environment Canada meteorologist based in Saskatoon.

It was also wet in northern areas with Key Lake having 125 percent of normal precipitation. Meadow Lake started off the year wet with June flooding in the region. However, a dry summer and fall meant an average year for precipitation.

There were no significant temperature trends in 2020, but it was much warmer than usual in December. Average temperatures ranged between 3 and 5.5 degrees higher than normal last month as the jet stream was further north than usual.

December was also much drier than normal with North Battleford setting a new record and Saskatoon having its third driest December in 121 years.

December 2020 Precipitation