Showers are in the forecast for the weekend—and farmers will need every single drop that falls.

The latest drought monitor map from Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada shows an area of extreme drought covering much of northeast and north-central Saskatchewan. It is also dry in most other parts of the province except for the southeast.

The Global Institute for Water Security at the University of Saskatchewan monitors surface soil moisture conditions at St. Denis, about 40 kilometres east of Saskatoon. It says shallow topsoil moisture has not been this low in the past 11 years of measurement. On the positive side, there is still moisture deeper in the soil.

We have posted the last two drought maps below for a comparison: