Snow conditions commentary

A bi-weekly commentary of snow conditions based on readings from the BC Automated Snow Weather Station (ASWS) network is published during the snow season.

April 15, 2024

On average, based on the ASWS, mid-April represents the peak of the snowpack accumulation for the season. During the first two weeks of April, weather was generally seasonal with continued seasonal snow accumulation, particularly in the mountains. At lower elevations, short periods of warm weather have melted the shallower than normal snowpack resulting in much earlier melt than normal.

A complete listing of Automated Snow Weather Stations (ASWS) expressed as percent of long-term median for the entire length of record is found in the ASWS Weekly Summary (PDF, 570KB)*. Hyperlinks to interactive plots have recently been added for each ASWS in the table.

*Note: These are not the official snow basin indices. 

The provincial average for all ASWS sites on April 15th is 62% of median, decreasing from 67% on April 1st.  Noting that it begins to get difficult comparing week-to-week as higher elevations may still accumulate snow and lower elevations may be snow-free.

A provincial composite graph of all automated stations with relatively long-term record is shown below. The data for the graph begins in 1988.

The Fraser River basin stations average 64% of median for April 15th, decreasing from 67% on April 1st.

The shift to much earlier than normal snowmelt is visualized at the Brenda Mine (2F18P) station, a lower elevation station within the Okanagan basin between Merritt and West Kelowna. It will likely reach snow free conditions later this week, several weeks earlier than normal.

The May 1, 2024 Snow and Water Supply Bulletin is scheduled to be released on Thursday, May 9, 2024. The official Snow Basin Indices are calculated in the Bulletin.