drought conditions

More rain needed to alleviate drought conditions

May 29, 2024 | 4:00 PM

PRINCE GEORGE — Prince George and much of the province has been dealing with cooler, wetter conditions, which is welcome given the current drought conditions.

Dr. Stephen Déry, a professor of environmental sciences at UNBC, says the over the past two weeks, the Prince George area has been experiencing on and off rain showers, and steady rain in some circumstances. That has brought our total precipitation to 40mm for the month of May, which isn’t far off of normal, as we would typically see 49mm for the month of May.

Despite the rain we have been getting in May, more is needed. Dr. Déry says that Prince George has been in a deficit since mid-2022, where we’ve been getting 400mm of precipitation in one year. On average, Prince George should be receiving 600mm of precipitation in one year.

El Nino conditions have been present over North America, but we are going to be seeing a shift. Déry says that conditions are transitioning from El Nino to El Nino neutral conditions, meaning average sea surface temperatures will be present across the equatorial Pacific Ocean. Predictions are showing that we will be transitioning into La Nina conditions through the summer, which could bring precipitation levels back to average across Northern BC during the summer of 2024.

X: @AdamBerls

Email: Adam.Berls@pattisonmedia.com