Featured
Despite recent rains, NWT still battling extreme drought
Most of NWT had dry, hot September; wetter weather in the works for rest of 2025, says GNWT
The NWT had “well below average” rainfall in September, save for Norman Wells and Inuvik, which enjoyed higher than average precipitation.
September temperatures across the entire territory were well above average, reports NWT Environment and Climate Change.
There is a 40% to 70% likelihood of above normal precipitation across most of northern and eastern NWT through December), with a lot of that likely happening in October.
The above average warm trend is likely to continue during October, with November predicted to be cooler than average and December perhaps warmer than average.
Water levels on Great Slave Lake and the Mackenzie River are influenced by rainfall received in northern British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, and southern NWT.
Precipitation in the Mackenzie River has been well below average since the spring. Water levels, recorded at several stations along the river, are well below average for this time of year.
Average precipitation has not been enough to overcome the extreme drought and soil moisture deficit. Several months of above average precipitation is needed to raise water levels.
Low water levels are the result of extreme drought conditions that began in the summer of 2022 and have persisted through 2023, 2024 and this year.
Water levels have since shown some recovery, but this has mostly been limited to small rivers and lakes.
