Less Snow Than Normal

Mar 8, 2019 | 2:05 PM

The latest BC snowpack readings show normal to below normal amounts for much of the province.

The BC River Forecast Centre says the provincial average as of March 1 is 89% of normal, with the Okanagan slightly below that at 81%.

Find the full report here.

“Snow basin indices for March 1st, 2019 range from a low of 59% of normal in the Stikine to a high of 106% in the Upper Fraser West,” says the report.

The Centre says February was colder than normal, and had limited snow.

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By this time of year, 80 per cent of the seasonal snowpack has usually fallen.

“Most of this years’ snowpack built up rapidly over a five to six-week period from early December to early-January. Weather through February shifted into the dominance of Arctic air across the province, with extremely cold temperatures and limited snow accumulation. This pattern has continued into the beginning of March. Snowpack throughout the province remained relatively level through February,” says the Centre.

There is no increased flood risk at this point, but weather during the spring thaw will play a key role.

“At this stage in the season there is no elevated flood risk present in the current snowpack across the province. For example, peak flows at the Fraser River at Hope during normal snowpack years range between 7,000 and 12,000 m3/s. While snow is one significant aspect to seasonal flooding in BC, weather during the freshet season also plays a key role, and flooding is possible in years with near normal snowpack.”

by Corey Fischer