What’s coming?

By early February, nearly two-thirds of the annual BC snowpack has typically accumulated. At this stage in the season, snow accumulation is currently typical for February 1st across
the province, with a few regions slightly above or below normal.

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

While snow is one significant aspect to seasonal flooding in BC, weather during the freshet season also plays a key role, and flooding is possible in years with normal snowpack. For example, peak flows at the Fraser River at Hope during normal snowpack years ranges between 7,000 and 12,000 m3/s.

Seasonal volume runoff forecasts (see below) are near-normal (85-105%) for the Upper Fraser, Thompson, Skeena/Bulkley, Nicola River, and Okanagan Lake basins, and above normal (~120%) for the Quesnel River.