Listen to this article
Estimated 2 minutes
The audio version of this article is generated by AI-based technology. Mispronunciations can occur. We are working with our partners to continually review and improve the results.
Southern B.C. could be looking at a very dry summer, according to the latest data from the province.
The latest bulletin from B.C.’s River Forecast Centre says low snowpack, early snowmelt and warm weather are increasing the risk of drought, especially in the south.
“Spring weather will continue to play an important role in summer drought concerns,” the bulletin reads.
The forecast centre, a provincial service that monitors water supply, says precipitation levels were below normal across B.C., throughout April, especially in the southern part of the province.
The situation was compounded by above-average temperatures — up to 1.5 C higher than normal, the bulletin says — which accelerated snowmelt, leaving the snowpack thin.
The dry, warm weather in April has been followed by similar conditions in the first week of May.
The bulletin says regions across B.C. range from well above normal snowpack to well below, as of May 1.
The River Forecast Centre says on average six per cent of B.C.’s annual snowpack has melted by early May. This year, about 15 per cent of the snowpack was gone by May 1. As of May 7, 28 per cent of the snowpack had melted.
Environment Canada is forecasting temperatures above normal for May through to the end of July in B.C., while some climatologists say we could be in for a “super” El Niño this year — a weather event that brings much warmer temperatures, and with it, drought.
WATCH | What drought conditions mean for wildfire season:
What an El Niño summer with a pre-existing drought could mean for B.C.’s wildfire season
After a year and a half of La Niña conditions, experts say hotter and drier El Niño conditions may take over in May. As the CBC’s Jacqueline Gelineau reports, with some regions of the province already experiencing spring drought conditions due to a low winter snowpack, the B.C. Wildfire Service and B.C. Hydro are encouraging people to take precautions.
The B.C. Wildfire Service has already prohibited open fires in many parts of B.C. It says vegetation and wildfire fuel has dried out with recent warm weather, and wind is expected through the weekend, which could spell trouble if new wildfires ignite.
As of 1:30 p.m. PT on May 8, there are 25 wildfires burning across the province. Seventy-six per cent of them are suspected to be human-caused, which is how any wildfire not sparked by lightning is categorized.