Drought conditions on P.E.I. 'fairly common' says Agriculture Canada

Agriculture Canada has declared drought conditions for a large section of central Prince Edward Island.

• Dry spell: Island farmers desperate for more rain

An updated Canadian Drought Monitor map was released this week. It shows moderate drought conditions in an area stretching from around Summerside up to St. Peters Bay. The remainder of the Island is considered abnormally dry.

"This is nothing to get too concerned about. It just shows moderate dryness and a lack of precipitation," said Trevor Hadwen, an agroclimate specialist with Agriculture Canada.

Some areas of the province are experiencing a moderate drought, he said, which is a common enoughthat ithappens roughly every three to five years.

'Not a big concern'

"We're just seeing, at this time,lower than normal rainfall for the region especially through the month of July. It's a fairly common occurrence through this month, it's not a big concern."

Rainfall has been patchy around the Island since the beginning of June. Much of the rain that has fallen has come in heavy showers where the water came down too fast to soak into the ground.

Potato farmers say they will need about 25 millimetres of rain a week for the remainder of the growing season in order to get a good crop yield.

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