Snowpack levels remain low across the province, including in the Bulkley Valley and Lakes District.
The Skeena-Nass basin snowpacks are 80 percent of normal levels compared to 90 percent last year.
The Upper Fraser West basin also saw a drop in snowpack from 50 percent normal in 2023 to 35 percent normal.
“Given the terrible year we had last year with drought and forest fires, we know we need more snow in the mountains,” said Minister of Land, Water, and Resource Stewardship Nathan Cullen.
“That’s what we get out in the spring and through the summer for our rivers, salmon, and enough water on the land.”
More snow has fallen since the data was collected, but Cullen is worried about how long it will last.
“Given our really fluctuating weather, even the snow we’re getting now doesn’t stay like it normally would,” he said.
Some of that snow is expected to melt this weekend as temperatures in Smithers and Burns Lake are expected to reach up to nine degrees by Monday.
“It’s not just a year but it’s a trend. We’re seeing the effects of climate change and the differences in our winters where we’d normally get below freezing and stay there for weeks or months,” said Cullen.
Droughts, forest fires, and salmon season could worsen if snow levels don’t increase before this spring.
“It is still mid-winter, so we still have some time to make it up but it’s not a great early report,” he concluded.
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