Extreme weather disrupts Canadian agricultural harvests

Extreme weather patterns, including severe hail, heavy rainfall, and drought, are significantly impacting agricultural harvests across Canada. In Ontario, farmers have reported devastating losses; one hailstorm destroyed over 300 acres of crops in approximately 10 minutes at Willowtree Farm. Additionally, persistent heavy rains have led to fungal diseases like powdery mildew and caused pumpkins to rot in certain regions.

In the Prairies, heavy rainfall events have plagued the growing season, with some areas experiencing intense deluges. For instance, a station in Portage recorded 97 millimetres of rain over two days, with 84 mm falling in a single hour. These weather events, sometimes accompanied by tornadoes and extreme winds, have caused flooding in fields and complicated the harvest process for farmers in provinces like Saskatchewan and Manitoba.