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18 FEBRUARY 21, 2013 | WWW.PRODUCER.COM | THE WESTERN PRODUCERNEWSWEATHER | SNOW PACKSask. runoff forecast ‘significant’More snow than normal | Above average runoff expected, sparking flood concernsTIME TO POUR ONTHEPROFIT.BY KAREN BRIEREREGINA BUREAUIt’s too soon to say flooding will be aproblem for Saskatchewan farmersthis year, but the first provincialspring forecast does predict abovenormal runoff.The Water Security Agency lastweek confirmed what most peoplesee when they look outside: this winter’ssnowfall has been significant.Most of Saskatchewan has seenmore snow than usual, with theMoose Jaw, Regina and Yorkton areasreceiving well above normal amounts.Once again, Nexera canola is really making a splash – with impressive profits and yields in 2012.It’s all thanks to the Nexera Roundup Ready ® and Clearfield ® hybrid series, backed by healthierprofits and agronomic performance plus healthier premiums and strong demand for Omega-9 Oils.Call your nearest Richardson Pioneer Ag Business Centre to make today’s most profitablehybrid canola decision.PIONEER ® FOR THE SALE AND DISTRIBUTION OF SEED IS A REGISTEREDTRADE-MARK OF PIONEER HI-BRED INTERNATIONAL, INC. AND IS USED UNDERLICENSE BY THE UNAFFILIATED COMPANY RICHARDSON PIONEER LIMITED.The snow is also unusually wet.WSA spokesperson Patrick Boylesaid snow pack water equivalent is theamount of water that would be createdif all the snow on the ground melted.“We measure that remotely by satellitesbut we also do traditional onthe-groundsampling to verify thereadings,” he said.The samples found that the estimatedwater equivalent across theentire agricultural zone is 200 percentof normal.Boyle said forecasters can’t yet say ifthis will contribute to flooding. Thatwill depend on how much more0213-20678snow falls, the rate of melt closer tospring and rainfall during the runoffperiod.If precipitation during the nextcouple of months is normal, aboveaverage runoff is still expected.Widespread and serious flooding in2010 and 2011 has people on guard.About 1,400 individuals, communities,rural municipalities and FirstNations have since obtained more than$25 million in flood mitigation funding.“We’re probably in a better spot withinvestments in mitigation works,”Boyle said about the province’s abilityto handle flooding again.As well, dry conditions last fallshould mean the soil is able to absorbat least some of the melt.The agency will produce anothermore detailed runoff forecast in earlyMarch.Meanwhile, as of Feb. 1, the snowpack in the headwaters of the NorthSaskatchewan River is slightly belownormal and in the headwaters of theOldman River basin is slightly abovenormal.Environment Canada is forecastingnear normal precipitation in February,March and April for most of thePrairies except Manitoba, whereabove normal precipitation isexpected for much of the provinceoutside the far south.SNOW FACTSHow is snowfall measured?• Environment Canada staff useinstruments such as the niphersnow gauge or the Geonor bucketto capture snow, measure itswater content and report the findingsto a satellite network. Waterequivalent measurements arereported (in millimetres) insteadof snow because equal amounts ofsnow can hold differing amountsof water, depending on relativehumidity and other factors.• Automatic reporting stations aresometimes also equipped with asnow depth sensor. The sensoraims a high-frequency pulse at theground, which bounces back whenit strikes the surface of the snow. Acomputer calculates the snow depthusing the time it takes for the pulseto return to the sensor. Using thisdata, meteorologists can determinethe change in snowfall from day today and also how much snow hasaccumulated at each station.The map on this page shows normalwater equivalents. Do you knowwhat’s normal for your area? Theseare some station averages fromEnvironment Canada for Novemberthrough January (in mm):• Brooks, Alta. 48.3• Coronation, Alta. 49.1• High Level, Alta. 68.6• Medicine Hat, Alta. 44.2• Peace River, Alta. 63.3• Vegreville, Alta. 41.1• Assiniboia, Sask. 56.7• Estevan, Sask. 52.1• Maple Creek, Sask. 61.3• North Battleford, Sask. 51.4• Shaunavon, Sask. 59.7• Yorkton, Sask. 54.5• Brandon, Man. 54.9• Dauphin, Man. 59.7• Gimli, Man. 72.3• Morden, Man. 67.4• Portage la Prairie, Man. 76.6• Russell, Man. 69.5