Thompson snowpack levels near normal

Feb 8, 2019 | 2:06 PM

KAMLOOPS — It’s too soon to say whether we’re in store for some springtime flooding in the Thompson regions, but both the North and South Thompson’s snowpacks are hovering around normal.

The BC River Forecast Centre says the weather through the first week of January was stormy and wet in the province, and in higher elevations the snowpack increased considerably.

Over the following three weeks there was limited precipitation in much of the province and temperatures were generally above normal.

“Generally, the province has near normal snowpack for February 1, with the average of all snow measurements across the province at 97 (per cent),” the centre says.

The snowpack is above normal in the North Thompson at 112 per cent of normal. The South Thompson is currently 89 per cent of normal.

Further north, the Middle Fraser is at 105 per cent of normal, while the Lower Fraser sits at 91 per cent.

To the south, the Nicola basin is at 88 per cent of normal.

The forecast centre says most of this year’s snowpack in the province built up quickly over a five to six week period from early December to early January.

“Seasonal snowpacks can still change significantly with two or more months of possible snow accumulation left,” the report says. “At this stage in the season there is no significant elevated flood risk present in the current snowpack regionally across the province.”