Metro Vancouver residents may face more water consumption restrictions, as reported snowpack levels drop well below the seasonal average.
According to the Metro Vancouver Regional District, as of its April 1 snow survey, the snowpack in water supply areas remains below normal, averaging 55 per cent of the historical average.
The level is considerably lower than the same time last year, at 88 per cent.
The district is warning that it expects this spring to be warmer and drier than average, and the snowpack is likely to start melting earlier than usual.
Jonathan Boyd with the BC River Forecast Centre says the situation is concerning, with an increased risk of spring flooding.
“Typically, just the Vancouver area is not as susceptible to flooding. With the one exception being the main Fraser River,” said Boyd.
“That is one that when it has flooded, it’s flooded in late May through June, potentially even July. And that’s related to the mountainous snowpack in the headwaters of the Fraser River, which is up around Prince George or Kamloops, Vanderhoof area.”
Boyd says the risk of flooding has increased in recent years with atmospheric rivers as early as August and September.
“A concern from me would be what if we ended up getting to a place where we had similar intensity of storms right at the time that we had peak snowmelt as well in May and June,” Boyd said.
“That typically hasn’t happened, but as the climate changes and the weather patterns shift, there’s always that possibility.”
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Boyd says while spring and summer are not typical times for flooding in the region, recent weather has caused more concern.
“A great example is about a month ago, when an atmospheric river really centred on the south coast for about six days straight,” he said.
“It wasn’t the most powerful atmospheric river, but what was concerning was just the cumulative amount of rainfall and total time that it continued to rain.”
Metro Vancouver says the region collectively uses an average of 1 billion litres of drinking water per day, which is enough to fill BC Place.
The district is warning that more water restrictions could be on the way as usage tends to spike by over 50 per cent in the summer months.
It adds that if demand is high, there will be more restrictions to conserve water for drinking, cooking, and cleaning.
—With files from Jonah Jung