A little rain overnight July 16 across the province eased the forest fire index on P.E.I., but it was not enough to replenish Charlottetown's water supply. A key stream in the watershed that supplies the city ran dry this week.

Since May 1, very little rain has fallen on P.E.I.

Crops are suffering, and even relief from the risk of forest fires could be short-lived. In northeastern P.E.I., the index rose from low back up to moderate in less than 24 hours. Shallow streams are warming up, threatening fish habitat.

The photograph above illustrates the situation at Charlottetown Airport. It shows the average amount of rainfall from May 1 to July 10, along with figures for the same dates this year, last year, and 2000, the last year the growing season was as dry as this.

There could be more dry weather in P.E.I.'s future. Environment Canada calculates average precipitation using the years 1971 to 2000. That average for May 1 to July 17 is 238.0 mm. Since 2001, the average rainfall in that period is just 197.1 mm.

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