The average provincial snowpack level increased to 73 per cent as of March 1, up from 72 per cent in February, and the province says that due to low snow conditions this year, a below normal freshet flood hazard is expected in many regions this season, although the Lower Thompson might be an exception.
That is part of the takeaway from the province’s third Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin of the year, which was released on March 11. No region in B.C. was at or above the normal snowpack level as of March 1; the only region to come close was the Liard region in the province’s northeast corner, where the snowpack is sitting at 98 per cent of normal.
The next closest regions are the Northwest (89 per cent of normal), Upper Fraser West and Lower Thompson (both at 87 per cent), and Quesnel, where the snowpack is 83 per cent of average.
The Lower Thompson region — which includes Lytton, Ashcroft, Cache Creek, Clinton, and Merritt — showed a rebound over February, when the region was sitting at 42 per cent of normal. As of Jan. 1, 2025 the region was at 133 per cent of normal.
The Lower Thompson is one of four areas comprising the Middle Fraser region, which was at 66 per cent of normal (up from 64 per cent on Feb. 1). The Chilcotin region dropped from 31 per cent of normal on Feb. 1 to 16 per cent on March 1, while the South Thompson region, which includes Kamloops, was at 78 per cent, the same as on Feb. 1.
The 73 per cent figure for the entire province is an improvement on the March 1, 2024 figure, when the provincial average was 66 per cent. The report notes that by early March, approximately 80 per cent of the annual B.C. snowpack has typically accumulated, but that there are still four to eight weeks left in the snow accumulation season.
Temperatures in February averaged from -1.5 C to -6 C below normal for the month, and precipitation was well below normal for most of the month. Environment and Climate Change Canada is forecasting a greater likelihood of above normal temperatures for most of B.C. from March through May.
Seasonal volume runoff forecasts are near normal (80 to 105 per cent of normal) for the Upper Fraser, Quesnel River, North and South Thompson Rivers, and the Thompson River. With below normal snowpack across most regions, seasonal flood hazards are expected to be reduced this season, but the Lower Thompson region, where the snowpack is at 87 per cent of normal, could be an exception. The March report notes that “If near normal snowpack levels persist, a correspondingly typical degree of seasonal flood hazard is anticipated.”
The report also notes that extreme rainfall and rain-on-snow during the freshet period remains a hazard, regardless of snowpack levels. The April 1 snow survey results are the benchmark for understanding upcoming seasonal flood hazards with more certainty.
The Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin is conducted by the province’s Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship and uses data from 40 manual snow courses and 113 automated snow weather services around B.C. The next report is due out on or about April 9.
