British Columbia’s snowpack is the lowest it’s been at this time of year, since records started being kept in 1970, and those conditions could exacerbate a provincewide drought, according to the latest bulletin from the B.C. River Forecast Centre (BCRFC).
As of April 1, the provincial snowpack was 63 per cent of normal, with warming seasonal temperatures slowing snow accumulation. At this time last year, the snowpack measured 88 per cent of normal.
“Low snowpack and seasonal runoff forecasts, combined with warm seasonal weather forecasts and lingering impacts from ongoing drought are creating significantly elevated drought hazards for this upcoming spring and summer,” the snow and water supply report said.
According to the report, dry conditions continued across most of the province through March, including several locations in the northern and Interior regions of the province that measured near-record low precipitation.
Vancouver Island was the only area that saw a normal amount of precipitation in March, the report said.
BCRFC hydrologist Jonathon Boyd said it is possible the snowpack could increase into May if it is a cold or wet spring, adding that the “silver lining” is that flooding risk is lower for areas that consistently flood.
However, he says it is still possible for sudden or extreme rainfall or persistent heavy rain to cause flooding “especially in smaller- or medium-sized rivers in the Interior.”
He says the low provincial snowpack, impacts of drought from previous years and the seasonal forecast are all cause for provincewide concern about drought, though it is too early to know for certain.
“We’ll see what happens over the next maybe three to four weeks in terms of temperatures,” he said during a news conference Wednesday. “Ideally, what we’d like … is seasonal temperatures with a little bit of precipitation.”
Approximately 95 per cent of the annual snowpack is typically already on the ground at this time of year.