Record dry 11 months in Regina, Swift Current

November 2016 until the end of September 2017 was the driest such period on record in a number of areas including Regina and Swift Current.

Many regions have broken records for driest November-to-September period

Christy Climenhaga (Saskatchewan) · CBC News · Posted: Oct 12, 2017 7:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: October 12, 2017

Scorching heat and little rain this summer hurt crop production in southern Saskatchewan. (Mike Zartler/CBC)

This year's weather has been marked by extremely dry conditions in much of Saskatchewan, and that weather has stretched into the fall.

November 2016 until the end of September 2017 was the driest November-to-September period on record in a number of areas.

Farmer Kelly Garchinski said he's never had cracks like this on his land. He said they've seldom had to cut the grass this year, but when they do it looks like a dust storm because the top soil is so thin. (Kendall Latimer/CBC)

Regina broke its record for the driest 11-month period, with only 125 millimetres of precipitation.

Typically, in a full year, the Queen City sees 390 millimetres of rain and snow.

Swift Current also broke records for that time span, with only 133 millimetres of precipitation, when the climate average for yearly precipitation is nearly 400 millimetres.

Yorkton saw slightly more precipitation, making it the second driest November-to-September period behind 1961's dry spell.

The dry conditions are also notable in Moose Jaw and Saskatoon. Both cities saw their third driest November to September period.

Grass fires can spread rapidly across the prairies in dry years. (Glenn Reid/CBC)

What does the forecast show?

The province has already experienced a significant rainfall event in October. On Oct. 2, almost 40 millimetres of rain fell on Swift Current. In Regina, 21 millimetres of rain fell in the first three days of the month.

Forecasts are pointing to near or slightly above normal amounts of precipitation over the next three months.