Many fields in Manitoba are lacking some much-needed snow cover to prevent soil from blowing away.

Sara Hoffman from Environment Canada and Climate Change says it’s been a rough year with minimal precipitation, and we’re now looking for as much snow as possible to make up for it.

“It’s been such a hard year with the extreme drought going on in southern Manitoba and extending into Saskatchewan,” she says.

A school yard in Ste. Anne is littered with large snow balls.

It’s really hard on many people to not have the snow pack that we count on, she adds.

With minimal snow cover, the frequent gusting wind is blowing a lot of soil off the fields.

Hoffman is watching a weather system that might bring some snow this week and she encourages us to pay close attention to the forecast, noting that weather conditions could quickly deteriorate.

There is a chance this system can bring much colder weather along with snow and gusting wind.