Warm, wet spring on the horizon for northern B.C.

By Abigail Popple, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter, RMG

Snow is melting at an unusually quick rate throughout B.C., including in the Robson Valley area, according to the latest snow survey and water supply bulletin from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship.

More snowpack has melted this year than the typical amount for previous years, according to the bulletin. Usually, about 19 per cent of seasonal snowpack has melted by May 15th – this year, about 36 per cent of snowpack melted by that time. The ministry attributes this to warmer-than-normal temperatures throughout April.

As of May 15th, the Upper Fraser East region has snowpack that is 65 per cent of normal, just above the provincewide average. While an improvement over last year’s mid-May snowpack of 47 per cent in the Upper Fraser East, the region’s current snowpack levels are considered well below normal.

These warm conditions could mean an elevated drought risk in the coming summer, the bulletin says. Seasonal weather forecasts from Environment and Climate Change Canada show a likelihood of warmer-than-usual temperatures across B.C. throughout the summer. However, parts of northern B.C. may have a wetter late May than usual, the bulletin adds.