Near-record low Vancouver snow pack

Sunday, February 22, 2015, 12:35 PM - For people in the south coast of B.C., real winter is usually something that happens to other Canadians.

Vancouver and other southern cities have basked in relatively clear skies and temperatures sometimes as warm as the high teens, but this winter is exceptional for snow in that area.

While the interior of B.C. is near normal in terms of snow pack, Weather Network meteorologist Tyler Hamilton says some portions southern B.C., including Vancouver Island, is at record low levels.

That's because it's not only been too mild, a ridge of high pressure anchored off the north Pacific has simply kept moisture out.

"It's proved too much for snow pack to accumulate so far this winter," Hamilton said Sunday.

It's so bad in fact that some ranges in southern Vancouver are currently measuring NO snow pack at elevations of 1,100 m, which Hamilton says is unprecedented.

Aside from the potentially devastating impact on the skiing crowd in those parts of the province, lower snow pack has a number of side effects for the spring time.

It's bad for fishing and river water levels, as well as drinking water. Also, less moisture in the winter will make for tougher fire suppression efforts.

The upside of a lighter snow pack can be a milder spring flood season for flood-prone communities, but Hamilton says most such towns in B.C. are in parts of the province where snow pack is about normal, or not below-normal enough to match the sheer dryness of the south coast.

As for the rest of the winter, a pattern change is ahead for March, and snow pack typically peaks around late April.

"So there's still time to turn it around," Hamilton says.