The snowpack in the East Kootenay has dropped since last month but it’s unchanged in the West Kootenay.
The BC River Forecast Centre said in an update today the snowpack stood at 81 per cent of normal in the East Kootenay as of April 1, compared to 89 per cent on March 1. In the West Kootenay, it was 90 per cent on both dates.
The average of all sites in BC as of April 1 was 88 per cent, down from 94 per cent on March 1.
The forecast centre says by the start of April, 95 per cent of the seasonal snowpack has normally accumulated.
The Boundary snowpack is the highest in the province at 120 per cent, followed by the Okanagan at 113 per cent, the Upper Fraser West basin at 111 per cent, and the Nicola at 109 per cent. All other regions are slightly below normal.
A markedly above-average snowpack brings the risk of flooding, while below average numbers could portend drought, although there are other factors involved.
Nobody from the forecast centre was available for an interview on the latest data.