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. This is not the snow bulletin and the values listed are not the official snow basin indices. 

April 1, 2026

Beginning around March 15, a nearly week-long atmospheric river impacted coastal B.C. before extending into parts of the Interior. Temperatures and freezing levels increased significantly over the course of the event, resulting in significant snowmelt at many lower-elevation locations, while higher-elevations increased snow water equivalent (SWE). The final week of March returned to cooler, showery conditions with continued mountain snow accumulation.

A complete listing of Automated Snow Weather Stations (ASWS), expressed as a percent of the long-term median for each station’s entire period of record, is available in the ASWS Weekly Summary (PDF, 385 KB)*. Hyperlinks to interactive plots are provided for each station within the table.

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

The provincial average across all ASWS sites is 115% of the period-of-record median for April 1, 2026, a slight increase from 112% on March 15. Stations within the Fraser River basin average 113% (March 15: 112%). By April 1st, on average, approximately 97% of the seasonal snowpack has typically accumulated.

As of April 1st, the lowest ASWS basin averages are observed on Vancouver Island (57%) and the Boundary (54%).  The highest basin averages occur in the Upper Fraser West (171%) and Liard (176%) regions.

Compared to March 15th, the greatest increases occurred in Nechako (+23 percentage points), Central Coast (+23), Liard (+21), Upper Columbia (+17), and Skeena-Nass (+16). The largest relative decreases since March 15 occurred in the Boundary (-20), Okanagan (-17), and East Kootenay (-6).

Long-term stations with record high SWE values for April 1st include: 2D08 East Creek (established in 1980 in the West Kootenay), 2D14P Redfish Creek (2001 - West Kootenay), 4A02P Pine Pass (1988 - Peace), and 4A30P Aiken Lake (1984 - Peace). The East Creek station is already measuring all-time record seasonal high. A record low SWE value for April 1st was measured for 2F18P Brenda Mine (1992 - Okanagan).

A provincial composite graph of automated stations with relatively long-term records (beginning in 1988) is provided below.

^{Based on this composite, the April 1st percentage of median is 117% (March 15th: 109%), placing current conditions at approximately the 82nd percentile (March 15th: 76th percentile).}    

The April 1, 2026 Snow Survey and Water Supply Bulletin is scheduled for release on April 9 or 10. The bulletin will provide a more comprehensive summary of the April 1st snowpack conditions and will include the official Snow Basin Indices. The April 1st bulletin is considered the primary bulletin for historic seasonal snowpack comparison.