B.C. snowpack trending low raising drought concerns

Tom Popyk · CBC News

· Posted: Mar 11, 2025 7:12 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 minutes ago

B.C.'s latest Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin shows adust January and February upwind has driven the mean provincial snow battalion levels little than earlier expectations.

The existent provincial snowpack level now sits astatine 73 per cent of a mean year, portion successful January, snowpack levels were adjacent to normal, astatine 87 per cent.

Forecasters say it is raising concerns of continued drought conditions through 2025.

"Low snowpack and seasonal runoff forecasts combined with lukewarm seasonal upwind forecasts and lingering impacts from ongoing drought are pointing toward elevated drought hazards for this upcoming outpouring and summer," said the B.C. River Forecast Centre successful its report.

The hazard is greatest in the Similkameen, Central Coast, Bridge, Chilcotin, Nechako and Skagit districts.

The Chilcotin is the driest portion successful the state this winter, receiving just 16 per cent of mean snowfall.

The Liard district is the wettest, tracking astatine 98 per cent of a mean snowfall year.

It's welcome moisture for the northeast region, which was hit by terrible wildfires past summer, and wherever alleged "zombie fires" or "overwintering fires" continue to smoulder underground and nonstop fume into the air. 

Conditions in the Similkameen and East and West Kootenays have improved somewhat from February's reports, with the regions adding 1 to 3 per cent to the mean snowpack levels. 

The Lower Thompson sub-basin, within the Fraser River district, reported the largest month-over-month snowpack summation with levels expanding from 42 per cent to 87 per cent of an mean year. 

Overall, the snowpack is higher than this clip past year,  when the mean of each snowfall stations successful British Columbia was little astatine 66 per cent of normal.

Forecasters say, truthful far, that isn't enough snowfall to trigger freshet concerns.  A below mean outpouring flood hazard is expected.

There are inactive 4 to 8 weeks near successful the snowfall accumulation season, especially in the higher elevations and mountains, when typically immoderate 20 per cent of the season's snowfall falls.

WATCH | February snowpack study showed akin levels: 

"Precipitation, which is much hard than somesthesia to foretell astatine a seasonal scale, is showing a greater likelihood of supra mean precipitation for March done May 2025 for areas connected northbound Vancouver Island, the Central Coast, Omineca, and Peace," the study notes. "The remainder of the state is not showing a statistical inclination successful the forecast."

Environment and Climate Change Canada released a seasonal upwind outlook successful precocious February, forecasting a greater likelihood of above-normal temperatures for B.C. from March done May.