Manitoba drought conditions improving, but wildfire season remains up in the air

Manitoba’s drought conditions have improved over the past few months. CTV’s Jeff Keele examines how this could impact wildfire season.

Drought conditions have been getting better in Manitoba over the last few months, as the province comes off one of the worst wildfire seasons in history.

Two people died in the RM of Lac du Bonnet, homes and cottages were destroyed, many were displaced, and the province was plagued with drought conditions.

Trevor Hadwen from Agriculture and Agri-food Canada said drought conditions have changed a bit over the winter.

“We’re seeing some really good improvement throughout Manitoba,” Hadwen said.

The federal department tracks drought conditions. Maps show between November 2025 and February 2026, the drought conditions have subsided to a degree.

Hadwen said it could all depend on how fast the snow and ice melts, as an early spring could bring a high wildfire season, so the later spring comes the better.

“So that’s kind of what we’re hoping for,” Hadwen said. “We do have more moisture in the area, the forest areas this year, so looking forward to a good season rather than what we’ve seen over the last number of years.”

But when looking at the maps, it appears things are drier this February compared to last February.

Loren Schinkel, the reeve of the RM of Lac du Bonnet, said while they do have a good amount of snow in the area, things can change quickly.

“Mother nature continues to throw curves at us,” Schinkel said.

He said indications are a hot dry summer is coming, so they’re gearing up.

“We can never be overprepared for another situation for like our residents endured last year,” Schinkel said.

The province also said it’s premature to make predictions at this point about the wildfire season, as a lot is dependent on the weather.

From a farming standpoint, Charles Fossay is optimistic now for seeding.

“It looks like we’re going to have adequate moisture to get the crops growing,” Fossay said.

The Starbuck area farmer said the yield will come down to what happens in June and July.

“When we get temperatures over 30 degrees, especially for several days in a row, that can really affect the growth of crops,” said Fossay.