Snowpack On The Rise

The latest readings show the average snowpack in BC is 85 percent of normal.

That’s up from the 79 percent in February.

Dave Campbell from the BC River Forecast Centre says no major flooding is expected this spring, but he says that will also depend on how much rain there is.

“We’ve got about 80 percent of the overall snow this time of year so it’s probably not going to change a whole lit unless we get some extreme weather over the next four to eight weeks,” says Campbell.

The Okanagan’s snowpack is 86 percent of normal.

“It’s right near where the provincial average is, so that’s up a bit from a month ago (79%).”

Campbell says while spring runoff forecasts are near normal for most basins, below-normal runoff is expected for the Kalamalka-Wood basin.

Campbell says the colder weather in February has led to more snow at lower elevations.

“We’re seeing anywhere from three to eight times the snow we normally would had in February, which is reflecting that colder weather, and the precipitation coming as snow rather than rain.”