Due to its average aridity as well as historical experience with prolonged
droughts, the Dry Belt has long been identified as the most vulnerable
sub-region within the larger Palliser Triangle in the Great Plains of
southwestern Canada. Based upon 105 years of climate data, drought maps
are redrawn based upon the historical record of drought within the Dry Belt.
The result demonstrates that the size of the Dry Belt expands or contracts
dramatically depending on the precise period being analyzed. Given current
climate change scenarios, we should not be surprised to see a major expansion in the area of the Dry Belt in future decades similar to what was
experienced between 1928 and 1938.
