A Hydrologist with the BC River Forecast Centre says the snowpack levels in the Cariboo region are near perfect right now.
Jonathan Boyd is talking about the risk of either drought or flooding this year.
“The Snow Basin Index is at 101 percent of normal, so essentially just as normal as can be for January 1st and a really dramatic change compared to last year when it was 51 percent of normal.”
Boyd says it is early though so there is still a chance of pretty much anything.
“I feel like there is that scene from Dumb and Dumber where Jim Carrey has the scene where he says “you’re telling me there is a chance.” There is still a chance of anything especially when the snowpack is at 100 percent of normal. From our perspective at the River Forecast Centre, having a snowpack that’s around 85 to 100 percent of normal is the most ideal because it lessens the guarantee of drought occurring but then also it prevents that extra risk of snow melt related flooding. It’s not to say that either of those can’t still happen.”
Boyd says less than half of the snowpack has accumulated.
“January 1st is usually about 45 percent of the provincial snow pack has accumulated and we still have a long way to go. January is usually the busiest month in terms of the depth of snow that falls across the province. We won’t know for sure until we get to April, May and June.”
Boyd says one or two big storms can change the percentages dramatically because it’s not the same as getting a little every day.
He says the next update will be on around February 11th.
Something going on in the Cariboo you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].
