The most recent Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin from the BC River Forecast Centre shows that a low snowpack, coupled with an early snowmelt, means less water heading into the province’s river system as we move into summer.
The bulletin, which reflects data up to June 1, shows that about two-thirds of the snow that accumulated this past winter had already melted. In a normal year, only about half of the snowpack has melted by June 1.
The provincial snowpack was at 44 per cent of normal as of June 1, with areas in west-central B.C. and the Chilcotin well below normal. There was not enough snow in the Upper Fraser East, Lower Thompson, and Chilcotin basins to register, and all three basins were at zero per cent of the normal snowpack for June 1. The Middle Fraser basin was at 19 per cent of normal, the North Thompson was at 65 per cent, and the South Thompson was at 53 per cent of normal.
The bulletin notes that this year’s faster than normal snowmelt was driven by warmer than normal temperatures in April, which melted the snowpack at lower elevations. Higher elevation snowmelt was initially trending later than normal with generally seasonal temperatures, until unseasonably hot weather in late May — particularly in the Interior — resulted in a rapid melt.
Seasonal weather forecasts from late May by Environment and Climate Change Canada indicate that there is a greater likelihood of above normal temperatures for almost the entirety of B.C. from June through August 2025.
While the low snowpack means a below normal spring freshet hazard, the combination of low snowpack, early snowmelt, warm seasonal weather forecasts, and the persistence of drought impacts from previous seasons are pointing towards elevated drought hazards for the upcoming season.
The final Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin of the year will be released on or around June 20. The province also maintains a B.C. Drought Information Portal, which is a geographic drought level information system where users can access current drought conditions. Go to https://droughtportal.gov.bc.ca/ for more information.
