The weather this week could allow for some moderate snow melt, thus potentially helping to mitigate some flooding potential across the province.
According to Dave Campbell with the B.C. River Forecast Centre, there has been a delay of the melt of snowpack in all areas of the province of up to three to four weeks.
“In a normal year this snow pack would be melting at this point and time,” says Campbell. “This delay does pose some increase in flood risk and areas that we’ve identified as having high snowpacks remain high.”
In the mid-Fraser basin — that includes the Cariboo-Chilcotin — the snowpack is 120 per cent of normal.
A cooler weather trend throughout the early part of June is expected to help mitigate some flood risk.
Staff with Emergency Management B.C. remind the public to keep children and pets away from stream banks that can erode quickly. They further caution people not to walk or drive through flood waters and to have an emergency kit ready.
They further encourage the public if they are aware of potential flooding in their area to contact local municipal governments or the provincial emergency centre at 1-800-663-3456.