A late burst of significant moisture these last few days have resulted in several communities finally lifting fire bans. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW Staff)

By battlefordsNOW Staff

Regional Rainfall

Rainfall dampening region, fire bans lifting

Aug 24, 2021 | 4:43 PM

After months of farmers, firefighters and residents across the province hoping for rain to fall they are finally getting their wish, albeit too late for many.

The Northwest region saw several days of steady precipitation, bumping the month’s rainfall totals up to 44 millimetres in the Battlefords and 34.7 in Meadow Lake. It was a wet couple of days in particular for the Battlefords with more than 3.1 millimetres on Sunday, 17.4 millimetres on Monday and more than 14 millimetres alone before noon today.

Meteorologist Terri Lang of Environment Canada said this has been very unusual weather for this time of the year. In the Northwest, the recent burst of rain is a more typical pattern for June and July.

“We tend to dry out in August, and don’t get a lot of severe weather,” Lang said. “It’s definitely been a bit of a backwards summer that way.”

The timing is especially unfortunate for producers, who are counting on this time of the year to be harvesting crops. However, Lang said there’s some benefit to rain from here on out when it comes to ground level moisture that effects soil and local streams.

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“It goes into the soil, stay, then the ground freezes,” Lang said. “Kind of money in the bank for next season when [people] plant.”

A cool overnight period is ahead, with a possibility of frost coming in as another risk to farmers and gardeners. Lang believes there’s a chance for dry periods as well as more rainfall, with a 60 per cent chance of showers in the Northwest on Friday.

“Temperatures are staying seasonal, if not cooler than seasonal,” she said. “We’ll see what happens, we may get that dry streak coming back in the longer range forecast.”

Bud Miller Park in Lloydminster during rainfall on Sunday. (Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW Staff)

North Battleford ban to lift if moisture persists

Several municipalities that have kept their fire bans in place for most of the summer are at least moving towards doing so now.

Fire chief Lindsay Holm in North Battleford said he’s ready to lift the city’s ban, but wants to see the level of moisture in the community this week before making a firm decision. Despite an exceptionally dry summer, authorized fire pits have been eligible for use within city limits.

“The risk for those is very limited, so that’s why we allow fire pits to be utilized during fire bans,” Holm said.

Several rural municipalities, including the RM of Medstead and the RM of Mervin lifted fire bans this week. The Town of Battleford has been free of a ban for some time and the RM of Battle River’s ban is expected to be lifted shortly.

Holm said his main concern in North Battleford is people are starting unauthorized fires while there’s dry vegetation. He’s also watching to see if leaves start falling before enough moisture has set in, which would influence his decision ahead of winter.

“We did have a very high level risk during the summer, but I’m much more comfortable where it’s at right now,” he said. “It is going to take another drive and inspection around the city to see what the moisture levels are like, including around the river bank.”

(Josh Ryan/battlefordsNOW Staff)

And Holm said rainfall on Friday would make the decision much easier.

“If that is the case, I’ll be more than comfortable lifting the ban.”

Scattered rain to further north cause for more caution

Fire chief Neil Marsh of Meadow Lake said their city has lifted their fire ban, while the RM of Meadow Lake has kept theirs in place. He said things have definitely improved, but it’s worth having caution, given the rain wasn’t as widespread as other areas.

‘We’ve had a fair bit of rain, but it’s quite localized.”

Marsh also said there’s precautions to consider regarding fires in the fall. A basic rule to follow is remembering that anything particularly flammable is a hazard.

“What often happens is leaves land in people’s eaves troughs or drop under decks,” Marsh said. “Easy place for an ember from a fire to land and quickly turn into a house fire.”

Since the fall season is set to begin, Marsh recommends residents take time to clean their property, both around the house and their eaves troughs.

“Assume it’s going to be dry again,” he said. “And at all times, be very careful with anything that can cause a spark.”

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cjnbnews@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW