Snowpack conditions presenting limited freshet concerns in Kamloops

The snowpack split is almost falling in line with research into the effects of climate change.

“As we get warmer winters the expectation is that the snowpack at the lower elevation will be lower but it might actually bump the higher elevation snowpack up,” added Boyd. “Just because instead of over the winter time say at a high elevation it’s minus-10 it’s now it’s minus-2 or minus-3 and there is just possibility for a little more moisture content in the atmosphere.”

However, the fact that the snow is further north and pushed up into the alpine, it doesn’t preclude Kamloops from potential freshet challenges this year.

“Weather does impact the freshet and snowmelt and all of that night,” said Wayne Lockhart, the utility services manager at the City of Kamloops. “Based on the numbers, we aren’t expecting anything significant, but if that does change – and we are seeing some significant weather events – we do have plans in place that we are ready to action and implement.”

The city is also preparing for the potential drought and Lockhart says their teams ready for any possibility this spring and summer.

“Our freshet response team is activated and we are currently doing dike inspections,” he said. “As the river levels climb, we have different triggers in our response plan to look at different things. So we are monitoring it, looking at it, and will action anything that we might need to if needed.”

The South Thompson basin is listed at 85 per cent of normal, however that figure could be undersold.

“There is a lot of area of the South Thompson basin, essentially the Shuswap watershed that is unmonitored from actual gauges that we have to measure historical values,” said Boyd.

by Michael Reeve

Snowpack conditions presenting limited freshet concerns in Kamloops

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