Snowpack above normal in B.C., flooding will depend on weather

Warmer temperatures forecast for later this week should start to put a dent in the spring snowpack.

However, if temperatures are moderate, flooding may not be a problem.

The latest numbers show the Okanagan snowpack at 109 per cent of normal and Boundary and North Thompson are both at 103 percent.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre says the April 1, 2021 snowpack throughout British Columbia is above normal.

“The average of all snow measurements across B.C. decreased slightly to 112 per cent (March 1st: 114 per cent),” the report’s synopsis stated. “The overall snow basin index for the entire Fraser River basin (e.g. upstream of the Lower Mainland) increased slightly to 116 per cent from the March 1st index of 115 per cent. By early April, approximately 95 per cent of the annual B.C. snowpack has typically accumulated.

“The risk of spring flooding is elevated due to the above normal snowpack across the entire province. While snowpack is one risk factor for freshet flooding, snowpack alone cannot predict whether flooding will occur or not. Spring weather is also a critical flood risk factor, where the timing and severity of temperature and rainfall patterns are important drivers of flooding irrespective of snowpack levels,” the report concluded.