Nicola snowpack above normal for March

The BC River Forecast Centre has released the latest snowpack report, and with the March numbers come increased detail for the Nicola Valley.

“The Nicola is at 119% of normal, so that’s 19% above normal and quite a bit higher than the last two years. Last year it was 88% of normal and in 2019 81%. In 2018, that was a pretty sizable flow year, it was 122% of normal, so it’s a little bit less than that,” said Hydrologist Jonathan Boyd.

Boyd continued to mention that low elevation snow is lower than previous years, and that is a positive towards avoiding potential freshet flooding.

“The big concern is that we are in a La Nina condition this year,” added Boyd. “We tend to have cooler and potentially wetter springs. That could lead to continued snow accumulation and then a delay in the melt.”

The most recent La Nina season was 2017, when the area saw overland flooding. During that year the March snowpack figures was only at 83% of normal, but spring weather conditions led to flooding conditions across the region.

The River Forecast Centre provides monthly updates throughout the Winter and Spring. The next update is expected in early April.