8.82°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

search-underway-for-b-c-woman-missing-after-empty-boat-washes-ashore
BCMay 16, 2025

Search underway for B.C. woman missing after empty boat washes ashore

Police in Nanaimo, B.C., say a search is underway both at sea and on land after a woman's sailboat was discovered washed ashore and empty. Mounties say 34 year old Amber Nitchman is the registered owner of the 10-metre white sailboat that was found Thursday near Bayshore Drive and Hammond Bay Road off Nanaimo.No one was on the boat, and Nanaimo Search and Rescue, the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Center, the coast guard and Nanaimo RCMP have taken part in a ground and water search for the woman.Police are asking that anyone with information on the case contact investigators immediately.The RCMP h
vaisakhi-nagar-kirtan-to-be-held-tomorrow-in-prince-george
BCMay 16, 2025

Vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan to be held tomorrow in Prince George

The vaisakhi Nagar Kirtan is being held tomorrow in Prince George, the city's RCMP said in a statement that they are also very excited to participate in this year's annual Sikh vaisakhi parade. Constable Praban Basra said that our relationship with the Sikh community is strong and very important. He said that many of our police officers belong to this community. He said that 7 officers from the Prince George RCMP will participate in this Nagar Kirtan dedicated to vaisakhi. At the same time, the organizers have expressed the hope that hundreds of people from northern BC will join the Nagar
porter-airlines-launches-new-direct-flight-between-ottawa-and-victoria
BCMay 16, 2025

Porter Airlines launches new direct flight between Ottawa and Victoria

B.C.’s capital city of Victoria is now offering direct flights to Ottawa. Porter Airlines has launched a new non-stop flight between Victoria International Airport and Ottawa International Airport. The airline said the flight will depart Victoria at 11:50 a.m. The flight will initially operate four times a week, but the airline plans to operate the flight daily during the peak summer season, which begins June 16. Porter is using a 132-seater aircraft for these flights. Porter’s flight from Ottawa yesterday carried 130 passengers, according to Elizabeth Brown, president and CEO of the Vic
ransom-demanded-from-murdered-harjit-singh-dhadda-family-reveals
CanadaMay 16, 2025

Ransom demanded from murdered Harjit Singh Dhadda, family reveals

Ransom was demanded from Punjabi businessman Harjit Singh Dhadda, who was shot dead in broad daylight in Mississauga on Wednesday. This has been revealed by his family. His daughter Gurleen Dhadda said that a ransom of $500,000 was demanded from her father but he refused. Gurleen said that her father said that he would not give a single penny. At the same time, Peel police did not confirm this claim but the victim's family says that they had reported the threats to the police and the police did not take it seriously. Gurleen said that my father was shot dead in broad daylight because our g
canada-post-report-recommends-phasing-out-daily-door-to-door-mail-delivery
CanadaMay 16, 2025

Canada Post report recommends phasing out daily door-to-door mail delivery

The Industrial Inquiry Commission report on the labour dispute at Canada Post recommends phasing out daily door-to-door letter mail delivery for individual addresses, while daily delivery to businesses should be maintained. It also says the moratoriums on rural post office closures and community mailbox conversions should be lifted.

Related News