This June is the first time since March 2020 that the Canadian Prairies' agricultural region has experienced no drought, according to Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's June 2026 Drought Assessment. Both short-term and long-term moisture levels have improved with slow moving storms and frequent intense thunderstorms this June. Crops have reaped benefits from the rain and wildfires have been less frequent, creating a stark difference from June 2025.

In June 2025, most of the Prairies saw an increase in drought severity. Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada's June 2025 drought assessment noted that northern Alberta saw the greatest degradation of drought while rural areas in southern Saskatchewan were declaring agricultural states of emergency with stunted crops and dry pastures. The June 2025 drought assessment also stated 87% of the Prairies were classified as Abnormally Dry (D0) or in Moderate to Extreme Drought (D1-D3).

Due to the increasing drought in June 2025, wildfires were also on the rise. Between June 1 and June 30, 2025, an additional 2.8 million hectares (6.9 million acres) had burned across Canada, according to the Canadian Wildland Fire Information System. Over the past 10 years, the historical average in June was around 1.3 million hectares (3.3 million acres). June 2025 was over double the 10-year historical average and the wildfires across Canada impacted more than just Canadians.

Across the United States last summer, northerly winds would drive wildfire smoke from Canada southward, giving way to hazy, smoke-filled skies frequently. This year is different thanks to the repeated rounds of rain tagging central Canada. In June alone, southern Alberta and southwest Saskatchewan have seen nearly 17-22 millimeters more rainfall than average. In Canada's latest drought assessment for June 2026, they attributed increased moisture across the central and southern Prairies to three large, multi-day slow-moving storms that occurred from May 31-June 2, June 19-24, and June 26-30. You can read the full drought assessment here: https://agriculture.canada.ca/….

Increased rainfall has also led to surpluses in topsoil moisture. Thirty-six percent of cropland in Saskatchewan has surplus soil moisture according to Cereals Canada, a not-for-profit association that represents Canadian cereal grains value chain. With more moisture across the Prairies, crops are reaping the benefits too. Cereals Canada released a report on July 6 that stated 70% of Alberta's spring wheat crop was rated good-to-excellent while 85% of Saskatchewan's wheat had the same rating. To discover more growing season progress for wheat across the Canadian Prairies, you can visit: https://cerealscanada.ca/….

While the Prairies still have the second half of the growing season to get through, the rainy pattern early this summer has certainly helped developing crops get a solid start in comparison to 2025's growing season.

Teresa Wells can be reached at teresa.wells@dtn.com

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