B.C.’s snowpacks measuring far below ‘normal’ ahead of wildfire season

Trees burned by a wildfire are seen on the side of a mountain in Williams Lake, B.C., on Monday, July 31, 2017. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

Snowpack levels in B.C. are drastically lower than normal for this time of year, which a BC Wildfire Service spokesperson says isn’t a predictor of how intense the wildfire season will be but can be a factor in how early or late it may start.

June 1 data from the River Forecast Centre shows the provincial mountain snowpack was at 64 per cent of normal. Breaking that down to a few specific regions, the snow basin indexes for the Okanagan, B.C.’s South Coast, and Vancouver Island were reported to be two, 14, and zero per cent of normal, respectively.

“Low snowpack, early snowmelt and warm seasonal weather forecasts are elevating drought hazards for this upcoming season, particularly along the southern coast and southern Interior,” reads an excerpt from their update.

The River Forecast Centre says this stems from higher-than-normal temperatures in April and May.

“Continued warm and dry weather through June and summer could accelerate watershed drying, increase streamflow recession rates and elevate drought hazard,” it added.

In an email to CTV News, a fire information officer with the BC Wildfire Service says having a healthy snowpack is important heading into the summer for two reasons — elevating moisture in forests and covering forest fuels.

“Around 60 per cent of our wildfires in B.C. are started by lightning. When high elevation fuels are covered by snow they are not susceptible to ignition,” they explained.

The fire information officer adds that drying patterns and precipitation levels are better indicators of how intense a wildfire season can be.

In a release issued Friday, the BC Wildfire Service said some areas in the province are “dryer than normal,” even after seeing a bit of recent rainfall.

“Warm and dry weather is returning to much of the province this weekend, drying out forest fuels and increasing fire danger,” it explained.

“With the change in weather we may begin to see holdover fires, lightning-caused fires where heat smoulders undetected until hotter, drier and windier conditions lead to more visible smoke.”

In 2022, 2023, and 2024, the province saw a minimum of 1,186 wildfires believed to have been started by lightning per season, according to data from the BC Wildfire Service.

Officials have pointed to the northeast, central and southern Interior of B.C. as having the highest current risk of new wildfires.