Lowest snowpack in 50 years creating significant drought conditions for B.C.

B.C.’s lack of snow over the winter is creating some serious concerns for the upcoming summer season.

In an update Wednesday, B.C.’s Ministry of Water, Land, and Resource Stewardship said the province’s snowpack as of April 1 was “extremely low,” with it averaging 63 per cent of normal.

“It is the lowest snowpack on record since 1970, at least, for the province and the Fraser River,” the ministry said in its snow and water supply bulletin.

“Based on active stations, and using the 1991-2020 normal period, the five previous low April 1st snowpack levels since 1970 were 2015 (65% of normal),
1981 (68%), 1977 (70%), 1993 (72%), and 2005 (72%).”

The ministry shared that this time last year, prior to the province’s worst wildfire season on record, the snowpack was averaging 88 per cent across B.C.

The province has seen continued dry conditions through much of March, the ministry explained, with many locations in the north and interior regions measuring “near record low precipitation for the last month.”

“Several locations recorded their 2nd and 4th lowest total March precipitation, including Quesnel, Williams Lake, Prince George, Dease Lake, Chetwynd, Fort St. John and Fort Nelson.”

The only region in the province with near-normal snowpack is the Northwest, with 105 per cent. However, a dozen stations have record low packs: Upper Fraser East (1 snow site), Nechako (3), Bridge (1), Quesnel (3), North Thompson (1), South Thompson (1), Upper Columbia (3), West Kootenay (1), Okanagan (2), Peace (4), SkeenaNass (7) and Liard (1).

The ministry says B.C. is still under the warm phase of the El Niño-Southern Oscillation (ENSO).

“Typically, El Niño conditions are linked to warmer winters across B.C., with below normal snowpacks and earlier snowmelt. Each El Niño is unique, and El Niño conditions are not necessarily a strong predictor of snowpack characteristics; however, B.C.’s weather and snowpack in winter 2023-2024 have followed patterns that would typically be expected for an El Niño event,” the ministry said.

However, ministry officials believe the El Niño phase will transition from warming to “neutral” during April to June, with an increasing chance of La Niña conditions developing in June-August. La Niña winters often are cool and wet, causing delayed snowmelt, the ministry explained.

But considering the timing of the oscillation shifts, the ministry explains there’s a good chance above-normal temperatures will be felt from July through September.

“Due to an increased chance of warmer seasonal temperatures, the below-normal snowpack could result in one of the earliest snowmelt seasons on record. This will play an important role in streamflow later in the spring and summer, with early snowmelt diminishing contributions to river runoff.”

Snowpack levels are concerning: B.C. minister

The minister of water, land, and resources, Nathan Cullen, says the government knows Wednesday’s snowpack update is concerning.

“Communities around B.C. experienced serious drought conditions last summer. It fuelled the worst wildfire season ever, harmed fish and wildlife, and affected farmers, ranchers, First Nations, and industry,” Cullen said.

He says everyone in B.C. can “do their part” to conserve water, as the province looks toward dry summer conditions.

“Everyone can [take] small steps to reduce their water consumption, whether that means taking shorter showers, watering your lawn sparingly or not at all and, most importantly, following local water restrictions. B.C. businesses, local governments, First Nations, and community and environmental organizations are working to conserve water and reduce water usage. Small changes make a big difference when we do them together,” he said.

“We are prepared for this, and we will all get through this together.”

Impacts being felt across Metro Vancouver

Presenting its latest snow survey and water supply bulletin, Jonathan Boyd with the River Forecast Centre says snowpack levels vary between regions, but locally, the levels are decidedly low.

“From the Lower Mainland and Vancouver Island perspective, it is low, but is nowhere near as drastically low as 2015, so those areas will have experience from managing that particular year,” Boyd said. “What snow offers is that bit of extra storage, which means that in terms of releasing water, using water, that water can sort of still stay available to flow into a reservoir later into the season.”

Metro Vancouver tells CityNews in a statement that its reservoirs are both at normal seasonal levels, and are on target to be full by mid-May.

The Capilano and Seymour reservoirs have moved into what they call “summer storage operations,” but they’ve been known to do that earlier in the year too, depending on the snowpack, rainfall and how fast the lakes are refilling.

North Vancouver resident Ryan Liu says he makes a point of taking a picture of the mountain backdrop at the Capilano Reservoir whenever he visits.

“It’s hard to say where things are going. But it’s definitely concerning,”he said. “It’s not like things are changing in a more enjoyable way.”

With the lower-than-usual snowpack in mind, this week Metro Vancouver announced stage one water restrictions would be coming May 1, which means you’re only allowed to water your lawn once a week.

“Yeah, so we can’t wash our car for a certain part of the year and we can’t water our lawns,” Liu said. “It doesn’t really seem like it’s that big of a commitment, or a hardship for us. But it’s something we never thought about when I was younger.”

After B.C. was fried by severe drought in 2015, Metro Vancouver brought up the start date for stage one water restrictions from June 1 to May 15 and extended them into October.

Two years later, the start date was moved to May 1.

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