Manitoba had very little snow this winter, which has some worried we're in for a drought

It's been one of the driest years on record for Manitoba, and that has some people, particularly farmers, worried the province will face a drought this year. 

Parts of southwestern Manitoba have seen less than 20 millimetres of precipitation since Nov. 1, which is close to 30 per cent less than normal, said Rob Paola, a retired Environment Canada meteorologist who runs the popular website and Twitter account @robsobs.

Winnipeg had its third driest winter on record, with only about 25 millimetres of precipitation in December, January and February, he said. 

"We've had almost no snowstorms the entire winter, and now as we get into spring, that storm track is still kind of bypassing us to the south, and we're missing out on these big weather systems," he said. 

This is concerning heading into warmer months as it leads to increased risk of wildfires, grass fires and even forest fires if it gets into central and northern Manitoba, he said. 

For farmers, it means less soil moisture as they plant their crops. 

Bill Campbell, president of Keystone Agricultural Producers, said crop production will be compromised if Manitoba doesn't see some timely rains.

"It's a huge concern, because I would say our subsoil moisture is gone and that bank account of moisture will not be there to kind of get us through the tough times if we have that scenario of no moisture through the summer," he said. 

It's a huge investment for farmers to plant their crops, and there's no guarantee that there will be sufficient moisture through the spring and summer to allow the crops to grow properly, he said.

"And when we seed it, we don't get it back. Like, you can't go and say, 'Well God, I'd like to get some of that investment back, please. Can I get it out of the dirt?'" he said. 

"It's an investment that you rely on Mother Nature to provide the moisture in the right environment so that we have a crop to harvest."

Another concern is feed for livestock. If cattle can't feed on grass, that means farmers have to purchase feed, Campbell said. If there's no feed to purchase, farmers will have to sell their livestock. 

It has a huge impact on the Manitoba economy, he said. 

Still, the situation can turn around quickly if the province sees even an inch of rain in April, he said.

"An inch of rain would get us a lot more comfortable," he said.

The first provincial flood forecast of the year said spring flooding is very unlikely and Manitoba is looking at a drier spring.