Some late snow in the Upper Fraser watershed may make for an interesting run-off

Prince George, BC – A clearer picture of the spring flood threat is set to emerge next week, with the BC River Forecast Centre in the midst of assembling all the data from the most recent snowpack survey.

The Ministry of Environment’s Flood Hazard Technician, Lyle Larsen, says last month’s survey for the Upper Fraser watershed was about 119-percent of normal.  While the snowpack typically peaks about the third week of April, Larsen says there were "some pretty good accumulations" in the last two-and-a-half weeks, so data from the most recent survey will be crucial to determining just how the spring melt will impact river levels.

On the Nechako River side of the watershed, Larsen says, "We’re not worried about that at all, it’s way below normal." 

But the verdict is out on the Upper Fraser side – Larsen says a higher-than-normal snowpack and warm temperatures increase the potential for some flooding.  "But we need to have that May 1st survey data in, so we can see what the snowpack’s doing."