Province Preparing for Drought
By 250 News
Friday, May 07, 2010 03:11 PM
Prince George, B.C.- The warm temperatures experienced in mid April have left the Upper Fraser and Nechako regions with snow pack levels well below what they should be for this year.
In fact, the snow pack is so low in many areas of the Province, the government is developing a Drought Response plan for this year. The risk of drought could be reduced if there is plenty of wet weather for the balance of May and into June.
The latest report indicated the Basin snow water indices across B.C. vary from a low of 37 per cent of normal in the Similkameen to a high of 105 per cent of normal on Vancouver Island.
Conditions as of May 1 indicate a likelihood of well below normal freshet runoff during May and June, and low risk for freshet flooding in the major river basins (Fraser, Thompson, Skeena, Bulkley, Nass, Peace, Liard). Water
levels on these large rivers began to rise in late April, and are expected to peak by late May or early June.
The well-below-normal snowpack conditions across much of the South Interior (Okanagan, Nicola, Kettle, Similkameen, West Kootenay, East Kootenay), along with the Skeena, Nass, and Peace River basins in the north, indicate potential for low stream flows and water-supply challenges to develop during the summer.
The low snowpack and smaller-than-normal snowmelt runoff are likely to be reflected in lower-than-normal lake and reservoir levels, lower-than-normal recharge of groundwater aquifers and lower-than-normal river levels during
summer.
Much of the Central and North Interior (including the Upper Fraser, South Thompson, Cariboo, Skeena, Nass, Bulkley, and Peace) are currently classified at Drought Level 2 (dry conditions). These areas have early indications of potential low stream flow and summer water supply shortages. Voluntary water conservation is urged, as well as planning at the local level and use of tools such as drought management plans.
Much of the South Interior (including the Nicola, Okanagan, Kettle,Simikmaneen, East Kootenay, West Kootenay and Lower Columbia) is currently classified at Drought Level 3 (very dry conditions), where low stream flows
and water supply shortages are highly probable unless significant rainfalloccurs during May and June. In these areas, water conservation is urged.
BC Snow Basin Indices – May 1, 2010
|
Basin
|
% of Normal
|
Basin
|
% of Normal
|
|
Upper Fraser
|
81%
|
Kootenay
|
64%
|
|
Nechako
|
90%
|
Okanagan‐Kettle
|
76%
|
|
Middle Fraser
|
80%
|
Similkameen
|
37%
|
|
Lower Fraser
|
95%
|
South Coast
|
90%
|
|
North Thompson
|
91%
|
Skagit
|
82%
|
|
South Thompson
|
87%
|
Vancouver Island
|
105%
|
|
Nicola
|
52%
|
Peace
|
81%
|
|
Columbia
|
82%
|
Skeena‐Nass
|
61%
|
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Posted by: BCRacer on May 7 2010 7:02 PM
Had a buddy hiking up around Pink Mountain all of January and February and when he got out of the mountains all he could say is how little snow was out there!!
scary scary scary!!