Upper Fraser East snowpack still slightly below average
By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG
Dry conditions have persisted in the Upper Fraser East region throughout the past month, according to the snow survey and water supply bulletin released by the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship on February 11th. The Upper Fraser East region, spanning roughly from Valemount to Prince George, is currently sitting at 81 per cent of normal snowpack – hardly a change from the January levels, which were determined to be 82 per cent of normal.
81 per cent falls into the “near normal” range of 80 to 105 per cent of normal, the bulletin says. That number is considerably higher than last year, when the February bulletin recorded 63 per cent of normal snowpack in the Upper Fraser East region.
Precipitation was well below normal throughout the province last month, particularly during the dry spell from mid-to-late January, the bulletin says. These conditions, compounded by years of drought in B.C., could mean the province will see a dry spring and summer.
“The current low provincial snowpack (72 per cent of normal), persistence of drought impacts from previous seasons, and low seasonal volume forecasts are all significant factors for an increase in province-wide concern for drought this summer,” the statement reads.
La Niña conditions – a term for when cold waters from the Pacific Ocean bring cooler-than-typical temperatures to B.C. – could also influence the April 1st snowpack. Typically, April snowpack is higher during La Niña winters, and La Niña conditions have persisted since January 9th of this year, according to the bulletin. The Ministry predicts that B.C. may experience below normal temperatures from February through April.
The Ministry predicts that the volume of seasonal runoff created by melting snow will be near normal for the upper portions of the Fraser. Flood and drought predictions will become more clear during the April 1st snow survey period, the bulletin says.
The next snow survey and water supply bulletin is scheduled to be released on March 10th or 11th, depending on data availability. The bulletin will include an updated seasonal risk forecast on floods and droughts.
