17.29°C Vancouver

Feb 12, 2025 4:23 PM - The Canadian Press

B.C. snowpack at 72% of normal as of Feb. 1 after 'extremely dry' January

Share On
b-c-snowpack-at-72-of-normal-as-of-feb-1-after-extremely-dry-january
The latest snow pack figures released Tuesday come after the province started the year with a snowpack at 13 per cent below normal.(Photo: The Canadian Press)

British Columbia's latest snow and water supply bulletin says it was "extremely dry" across much of the province last month, with average snowpack measuring 28 per cent below normal as of Feb. 1.

The latest snow pack figures released Tuesday come after the province started the year with a snowpack at 13 per cent below normal.

The bulletin, release by from the Ministry of Water, Land and Resource Stewardship, says last month fell within the top 10 driest Januaries across much of the province, while Abbotsford, Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon, Cranbrook and Chetwynd were in the top five since record-keeping began.

It says a moderate precipitation event over the southern half of the province in the last few days of January prevented several locations from reaching new record lows for snow.

The snowpack dropped throughout January in most regions, plunging by 35 per cent on Vancouver Island by the start of February.

The bulletin says areas with below-normal snowpack show "early concerns" for drought conditions in the spring and summer, while areas with near-normal snowpack may have a higher risk of melt-related flooding this spring.

Still, there are two to three months left this season, and the snowpack could still change significantly, says the bulletin issued Tuesday.

The bulletin says the average snowpack across B.C. was 72 per cent at the beginning of the month, higher than the 61 per cent recorded on the same date last year.

There's a high degree of variance across the province, ranging from 20 to 108 per cent of normal. The western Upper Fraser basin is sitting at 92 per cent, while snowpack in the Skagit was sitting at just 20 per cent of what's considered typical.

Latest news

charges-laid-coquitlam-homicide-investigation
BCAug 13, 2025

Charges laid Coquitlam homicide investigation

On August 1, 2025, at approximately 6:19 a.m., Coquitlam RCMP responded to a report of an assault with a weapon in the 400 block of Midvale Street, Coquitlam. Upon arrival, police located a man suffering from serious injuries. The man was transported to hospital where he later succumbed to his injuries. Coquitlam RCMP secured the scene, and a suspect was taken into custody. The Integrated Homicide Investigation Team (IHIT) took conduct of the investigation and worked in collaboration with Lower Mainland Forensic Identification Services (LMD IFIS) and BC Coroners Service. On August 1, 2025, th
carney-world-leaders-meet-ahead-of-trump-putin-summit-on-ukraine-war
CanadaAug 13, 2025

Carney, world leaders meet ahead of Trump-Putin summit on Ukraine war

Prime Minister Mark Carney met today with the "Coalition of the Willing," a group of nations who've agreed to support Ukraine in its fight against Russian invasion, ahead of the ceasefire negotiations set for Friday. U.S. President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin are set to meet in Alaska on Friday to talk about ending the war. Today's meeting was chaired by the leaders of the U.K., France and Germany and also involved Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy and U.S. Vice President JD Vance. Zelenskyy is not invited to Friday's summit, though Trump has said he wants to meet w
cupw-to-hold-two-says-of-talks-with-canada-post-overtime-ban-remains-in-effect
CanadaAug 13, 2025

CUPW to hold two says of talks with Canada Post, overtime ban remains in effect

The Canadian Union of Postal Workers says it will hold two days of talks with Canada Post. The union, which represents about 55,000 postal workers, says both sides met with federal mediators on Tuesday and it has agreed to meet with Canada Post on Friday and Monday. The talks come after workers rejected Canada Post's latest proposal, which would have seen wage hikes of about 13 per cent over four years and restructuring to add part-time workers to the deal. The union says its national overtime ban remains in effect. Negotiations for a new collective agreement have been ongoing for more than a
oliver-woman-faces-three-impaired-and-dangerous-driving-charges-for-2024-collision-that-killed-a-man
BCAug 13, 2025

Oliver woman faces three impaired and dangerous driving charges for 2024 collision that killed a man

On July 31, 2025, exactly one year after a collision that killed a 39-year-old man in the South Okanagan, an Oliver woman has been arrested for the fatal crash. On July 31, 2024, just before 8:00 a.m., a grey Toyota Echo and a white Ford Explorer collided on Highway #97 near Road 21 in Oliver, BC. The driver and lone occupant of the Toyota Echo was killed. After nine months of investigation, BC Highway Patrol – Keremeos forwarded a report to the BC Prosecution Service (BCPS) who approved the following charges against 30-year-old Vanessa Lameiras: Dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causin
b-c-residential-unit-sales-up-in-july-but-down-year-to-date-association-says
BCAug 13, 2025

B.C. residential unit sales up in July but down year-to-date, association says

Sales of homes in British Columbia grew in July compared with the same month last year, but year-to-date numbers show transactions remain slower. The British Columbia Real Estate Association says there were about 7,000 residential unit sales in the province last month, up 2.2 per cent from the numbers reported in July 2024. Just under 43,000 homes sold in B.C. in the first seven months of this year, down 5.7 per cent from 2024 levels during the same period. The association's chief economist Brendon Ogmundson says the numbers show markets in the province building momentum through the summer, wi

Related News