Snow Packs Levels High

PRINCE GEORGE – The River Forecast Centre has issued the latest numbers for snowpack and flood risk.

Snowpack levels in both the Upper Fraser River are above average this year. The Upper Fraser West is 145% of normal, while the Upper Fraser East is 114% of normal. While the snowpack levels in the Nechako are only slightly above normal, at 103%, the River Forecast Centre says two monitoring stations on rivers that feed the Nechako, are at record high snowpack levels. 

“Some of the lower elevation sites that are only monitored in March and April, are actually showing very high snow packs,” says Jonathan Boyd. “Two stations are actually recording record levels going back about 60 or 70 years at Bird Creek and Skins Lake. The likelihood is the Nechako at 103% is probably underrepresenting the entire average right now.”

The weather is one of the key factors at this point. The cooler weather has helped to lessen the speed of the snowpack melt.