Summerland’s snow pack levels have decreased over the past month, according to the most recent measurements taken by the municipality.
The water department conducts measurements at Summerland Reservoir and Isintok Lake, two sites to the west of the community. Measurements are taken each month from January until April and then twice a month in May and June until the snow pack has melted.
The April 1 measurements for Summerland Reservoir showed 470 millimetres of snow, or the equivalent of 160 millimetres of water. This is 71 per cent of the historical average water equivalent of 226 millimetres for April 1, based on 61 years of measurements.
READ ALSO: Snow measurements low at Summerland sites
READ ALSO: Summerland snow measurements below normal
At Isintok Lake, a snow depth of 500 millimetres was recorded. This is the equivalent of 138 millimetres of water, or 81 per cent of the historical average of 170 millimetres, based on 60 years of measurements.
Since the beginning of the year, Summerland’s snow pack measurements have been lower than normal. The Jan. 1 measurements were 58 per cent of normal at Summerland Reservoir and 88 per cent of normal at Isintok Lake.
The snow measurements taken at the two Summerland sites show a trend similar to that in much of the rest of British Columbia, where snow levels have been below normal throughout the winter.
According to snow and water supply data from the BC River Forecast Centre from March 15, the provincial average for all automated snow weather stations in the province was 72 per cent of median. Typically, nearly 90 per cent of the seasonal snow pack has accumulated by March 15.
In early March, the province stated that seasonal flood hazards were expected to be reduced in much of the province. An elevated risk of drought was also noted, although drought conditions have numerous causes, beyond snow pack measurements.