Rainfall brings little relief to Nova Scotia after summer of drought

After weeks of parched lawns, dry wells and an ongoing fire ban, Nova Scotia finally has some rain in the forecast

After weeks of hot and dry weather, rainfall is finally soaking parts of Nova Scotia.

Farmers say the showers are far from enough to reverse the damage from one of the province’s driest summers on record.

Philip Keddy, owner of Keddy farms and Horticulture Nova Scotia’s vice-president, said farmers have been struggling through a season that rivals past drought years.

“This has probably been one of the most challenging years for anybody in horticulture. Other farmers are saying this is worst than ’97, ’98 when they talk about those being drought years.”

Keddy said smaller harvests are expected across fruits and vegetables this fall with long-term storage also at risk.

“No matter what fruit or vegetable it is, its going to be a lot smaller,” he said. “Even If it rained tomorrow, it’s not going to solve the size and development of the crops at this point.”

CTV Atlantic meteorologist Kalin Mitchell said Nova Scotia is seeing the most widespread rainfall from the latest system, with 10 to 30 millimeters expected and locally higher amounts of up to 50.

He said that’s only a fraction of what’s needed.

“We needed about another six to eight times more to really recover from the drought conditions that developed throughout the summer months,” said Mitchell. “This is a good start, but it’s going to take months of persistent wet weather.

Keddy said the industry will need to prepare for more seasons like this one through better water management and crop insurance supports.

“It does worry me,” he said. “It puts the onus on the industry to proactively look at ways that we can better manage our water, but there’s still going to be challenges and struggles in the industry.”

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