Will heavy snowfall lead to flooding in the Okanagan and Kamloops?

Snow has been falling and snowpacks are on the rise across the Thompson and Okanagan, but it’s too soon to know whether there will be flooding this year.

That doesn't mean those in charge aren't preparing for all scenarios. 

Shaun Reimer makes the call about how much water to leave in Okanagan Lake and how much will be let out into Skaha Lake. He says the rapid increase in snowpack has happened before, but it’s too early to assess how this spring’s freshet is going to go.

“Okanagan Lake is still a few centimetres over its January target, and was heading that way even before this week’s cold weather and snow,” Reimer says.

“That prompted me to increase the outflows from Okanagan Lake dam to a higher than seasonal level, but not in an extreme way.”

Reimer began releasing more water just over a week ago, when Okanagan Lake began rising a few centimetres from the warmer weather and snow melt that was occurring earlier in January.

“We did that in order to reach our monthly target levels. We’ll have a much better understanding after the February monitoring of the snow pack is complete. That’s when we receive an information forecast from the B.C. River Forecast Centre,” he says.

Reimer says the valley is not in a drought situation right now, but calls it “a difficult term.”

“It’s kind of a case of all bets are off right now. It’s looking better for water supply and a non-drought than years like last year at this time. Back then it looked like we were going into summer drought, but the summer rains really mitigated a lot of the impacts of what it could have turned into,” he says.

Reimer says conditions right now are similar to those of 2014, where early high snowpack levels did not translate into either a drought or high water year.

“It’s just too early to make any definitive calls,” he says.

The BC River Forecast Centre recently issued a commentary of snow conditions for January, noting several storm systems have impacted the region over the past two or three weeks, leading to “significant growth in the provincial snow pack.”

The centre says the West, North Thompson, South Thompson and Okanagan are nudging into high snow pack conditions at more than 120 per cent of normal, with 55 per cent of the annual provincial snow accumulation already having occurred by mid-January.


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Steve Arstad

I have been looking for news in the South Okanagan - SImilkameen for 20 years, having turned a part time lifelong interest into a full time profession. After five years publishing a local newsletter, several years working as a correspondent / stringer for several local newspapers and seven years as editor of a Similkameen weekly newspaper, I joined iNFOnews.ca in 2014. My goal in the news industry has always been to deliver accurate and interesting articles about local people and places. My interest in the profession is life long - from my earliest memories of grade school, I have enjoyed writing.
As an airborne geophysical surveyor I travelled extensively around the globe, conducting helicopter borne mineral surveys.
I also spent several years at an Okanagan Falls based lumber mill, producing glued-wood laminated products.
As a member of the Kaleden community, I have been involved in the Kaleden Volunteer Fire Department for 22 years, and also serve as a trustee on the Kaleden Irrigation District board.
I am currently married to my wife Judy, of 26 years. We are empty-nesters who enjoy living in Kaleden with our Welsh Terrier, Angus, and cat, Tibbs.
Our two daughters, Meagan and Hayley, reside in Richmond and Victoria, respectively.

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