File Photo (Image Credit: CFJC Today)

By Aaron Schulze

SNOWPACK CONDITIONS

First seasonal snowpack snapshot shows normal conditions in North and South Thompson basins

Jan 9, 2025 | 9:50 AM

VICTORIA — B.C.’s snowpack is slightly lower than average to start 2025 but alpine areas around Kamloops are abnormally normal for this time of year.

The B.C. River Forecast Centre’s (BCRFC) first Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin of 2025 was released Thursday (Jan. 9) and it shows the provincial snowpack sitting at 87 per cent normal as of Jan. 1.

However, the numbers from Jan. 1 show the North Thompson and South Thompson basins at exactly 100 per cent normal for this time of year.

Elsewhere, snowpack for the Middle Fraser basin is slightly below normal at 88 per cent – with the Lower Thompson sub-basin above normal at 133 per cent – while the Lower Fraser is slightly lower at 85 per cent.

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“Typical fall storm systems affected coastal regions of British Columbia through October and November,” the BCRFC states. “In October, temperatures were slightly above normal for the South Interior; the rest of the province averaged seasonal temperatures for October and November. Generally, precipitation was near normal for the start of the water year. The only significant cold snap of the fall season occurred in late November for northern sections of the province and the Central Interior.”

The start of 2025 is less dire than the previous year as the BCRFC’s first Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin of 2024 had the provincial snowpack at 56 per cent normal.

While nearly half of B.C.’s annual snowpack builds by early January, the BCRFC says there are still three or more months left in the accumulation season and the snowpack can still change significantly based on upcoming weather patterns.

The BCRFC says regions with normal to above normal snowpack levels have an increased risk for spring snowmelt related flooding, especially if La Niña conditions emerge and persist, while areas with below normal snowpack show early concerns for drought conditions amplifying in the spring and summer.

Another snow bulletin is scheduled for Feb. 10 or 11.