Persistent drought conditions fueling southern B.C. wildfires

“It’s hot and dry, which is typically normal for this region, but this year is particularly very extreme. If we look at the annual water balance, it’s not enough water for the year,” said Chun-Chao Kuo, a hydrologist with the BC River Forecast Centre.

“For the three-month timescale, we see very little water for one month and almost no precipitation at all. For the last 60 days, we’ve seen 18 millimetres of precipitation, but we normally should get 48 millimetres.”

While much of B.C. has some form of elevated drought conditions, the Province’s southern interior is the driest, which makes the region prone to wildfires.

“We know the ground conditions are very dry, so it’s not good for the wildfire situation,” Kuo.

“Particularly dry lighting is dangerous in these conditions.”

Kuo said forecasters do not predict the hot and dry conditions to and any time soon.

Kuo said significant precipitation in the months ahead are needed to end the years-long drought conditions, particularly in the winter.

“For drought recovery, we need to experience very substantial amounts of precipitation and snowpack build-up in the fall and winter,” said Kuo.

“Soil moisture and groundwater are storage for our long-term water. During the time between building up our snowpack, we need the groundwater capacity to be in good condition to enable us to have a good starting point for the next year.”

Kuo recommends residents and local government to save water wherever they can to avoid putting more pressure on the region’s already dwindling water supply.

by Elora McCormack

Persistent drought conditions fueling southern B.C. wildfires

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