Okanagan residents in the valley bottom have suffered through a series of 20 snowfalls since Nov. 4. But that鈥檚 nothing compared to the snowpack in the hills 鈥 135 per cent of normal for Jan. 1.
That compares to 84 per cent on Jan. 1, 2022. The Similkameen Valley was far behind at only 72 per cent this January (104 per cent in 2021) while the Bound颅ary Country was at 129 per cent (103 per cent a year ago).
The snow station at Sum颅merland Re颅servoir measured an all-time record high for Jan. 1 at 197 per cent of normal in 58 years of record keeping.
Meanwhile, Environment Canada re颅ported the amount of rain and (melted) snow in Kelowna for the month of December was 26 millimetres compared to the average 32.6 mm or 80 per cent of normal.
The result is a confusing picture since above-normal snow was measured in the Okanagan, Boundary and Lower Thomp颅son basins. Yet, the B.C. snowpack overall was below normal for Jan. 1 with the average across the province at 82 per cent, says the River Forecast Centre in its first monthly tally of 2023.
鈥淓xtended cold, dry weather in Nov颅ember and December limited snow accumulation in the mountains. By Jan. 1, nearly half of the seasonal snow pack has accumulated on average. With three or more months left for snow accumulation, seasonal snowpacks can still change significantly,鈥 says the report.
La Ni帽a conditions existed during the fall of 2022, the third La Ni帽a in a row (鈥渢riple dip鈥), with La Ni帽a present during the fall-winter of 2020-21 and 2021-22.
La Ni帽a occurs when oceanic temperature anomalies along the equatorial Pacific Ocean region are below normal for an extended period.
Historically, La Ni帽a conditions create cooler temperatures for British Col颅umbia and wetter weather in the South Coast and Vancouver Island during the winter months.
Forecasters are predicting continued La Ni帽a conditions through the remainder of the winter (January-March) with a likely transition to neutral conditions during the spring. Historically, when winter La Ni帽a conditions exist in British Columbia, the April 1 snowpack is often above normal, particularly for the Southern Interior and South Coast.
La Ni帽a conditions that persist into the spring can lead to late-season accumulation and delayed snowmelt, which increases the risk for freshet flooding.
There is an increased likelihood of higher-than-normal precipitation for the southern portions of the province for January through March. But there are early concerns for drought extending into the spring and summer with below-normal snow throughout many regions. With three or more months left for snow accumulation, snowpacks can still change significantly.
The River Forecast Centre will continue to monitor snow pack conditions and will provide an updated seasonal flood risk forecast in its February assessment.