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.

December 16, 2024

A couple storm systems contributed to the mountain snowpack over the first half of December. In general, accumulation was slightly below average to start December. The upcoming weather forecast indicates additional storm systems arriving to impact B.C. over the next 10-days.

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 102% of the period of record median (Dec 1, 2024: 114%). The Fraser River basin stations average 96% (Dec 1, 2024: 108%). By December 15th, on average, approximately one-third of the total seasonal snowpack has accumulated.

Although the provincial average is near normal, there is substantial variability between regions. As of Dec 15th, the lowest average snow  based on ASWS occurs in the Central Coast (64%), Nechako (68%) and Similkameen (69%). The highest average is located within the Liard (183%), Boundary (153%) and Vancouver Island (143%).

A preliminary Snow Basin Index (SBI) map was created for December 15th using the average percent of median for all stations within a basin, including stations with a short period of record. It is different than the SBI calculation methodology used within the Snow Bulletins which calculates the indices based on stations with measurements in the normal period of 1991-2020 and also includes manual snow surveys. 

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 60 Manual Snow Survey measurements. The official Snow Basin Indices are calculated within the Bulletin.