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.

April 15, 2025

Generally, weather conditions were seasonal for the first half of April. During the first week of the month, a high-pressure ridge developed over the province resulting in the warmest temperatures of the year, so far, for most locations in B.C. over the April 4-6 weekend. The warming triggered rapid melt of lower elevation snowpacks. The weather pattern shifted to weaker pacific frontal systems during the following week. Drier and warmer weather is forecast into the Easter long weekend, before cooler low pressure systems likely return afterward.

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 April 15th at all ASWS sites is 77% of the period of record median, decreasing from 87% on April 1st. The Fraser River basin stations averaged 82%, which decreased from the April 1st value of 90%. The decreases were largely driven by rapid snowmelt at lower elevation ASWS. Based on the historical record at ASWS locations, April 15th represents the peak mountain snowpack accumulation of the season on average.

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

^{From the above graph, the April 15th percentage of average is 82% (April 1st: 82%) and at the 9th percentile (April 1st: 8th).} 

The May 1st, 2025 Snow and Water Supply Bulletin is scheduled to be released May 8th or 9th, 2025, based on data availability. The official Snow Basin Indices are calculated within the Bulletin.