Prince George, B.C. – Moderate trending into high, that’s the province’s latest flood forecast for the Upper Fraser West region this spring.

“Yeah, it seems to be quite localized where those areas of heavy snow pack and elevated risk would be,” says B.C.’s River Forecast Centre spokesperson Dave Campbell. “It’s kind of an area in and around Houston, through to Fort St. James and maybe a little bit further south.”

He says the snow pack there is 142% of normal, compared to 98% of normal for Upper Fraser East, 105% for the unregulated areas of the Nechako basin, and 92% for the Skeena-Nass.

Though the Upper Fraser West region presents the greatest risk, he says flooding is a possibility anywhere when we get into the melt season.

“Although things aren’t looking excessively high (risk-wise), I think it’s just cautioning if we’re to get the right combination of adverse weather that could increase the risk. For example warm weather or extreme rainfall or prolonged wet weather.”

The latest snowpack report notes winter river flows )October through to the end of February)are much higher than they have been in the past. While not at flood stage,  the Skeena has been  running at 150% of normal, and the  Fraser from Prince George  through to Hope has been near  historic maximum levels for winter  flow levels.