Snow conditions commentary

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

January 2, 2025

The ongoing December storm pattern for southern B.C. continued through the holiday season with generally seasonal mountain snow accumulation during the second half of the month.

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, 186KB)*. Hyperlinks to interactive plots are available for each ASWS in the table.

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

The provincial average for all ASWS sites is 101% of the period of record median (Dec 15, 2024: 101%). The Fraser River basin stations average 105% (Dec 15, 2024: 95%). By January 1st, on average, approximately 45% of the total seasonal snowpack has accumulated.

Although the provincial average is near normal, there is substantial variability between regions. As of January 1st, the lowest average snow based on ASWS occurs in the Central Coast (54%), Northwest (64%) and Nechako (69%). The highest average is located within the Liard (156%) and Boundary (144%).

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 January 1st, 2025 Snow and Water Supply Bulletin is scheduled to be released approximately January 9th or 10th, 2025, based on data availability. The bulletin offers a more detailed and comprehensive summary of the January 1st snowpack statistics and includes approximately 45 Manual Snow Survey measurements. The official Snow Basin Indices are calculated within the Bulletin.