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CBC
5 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
B.C. facing more adverse drought conditions this year with warm, dry weather expected
British Columbia's minister in charge of water is asking residents to do everything they can to conserve the resource in the coming weeks, as the province faces elevated drought conditions in the southern Interior. Randene Neill, the minister of water, land and resource stewardship, says they want people to think about saving water wherever possible, such as watering lawns less frequently and fixing leaky faucets, as up to 70 per cent of water is used in residences in some regions. The conservation drive comes as this year's drought season is expected to be more severe than last, despite the recent rainfall that temporarily alleviated parched conditions in some areas in the northeast. David Campbell, with the B.C. River Forecast Centre, says the province had only 79 per cent of its normal snowpack level by April, and the snow season ended a few weeks earlier than usual. He says the situation this year has been made worse by a warmer spring compared with last year, where a more gradual snow melt helped to alleviate drought conditions later in the year. The centre says that while recent rain has improved conditions near Fort Nelson in the northeast, the Nicola, Okanagan and other regions in the southern Interior are seeing worsening conditions and declining streamflow, with little rain in the forecast. "While some of the recent rainfall has been beneficial, we really need to see much more sustained, longer-term, on the order of months or even a season of wet weather, to really make up the deficit that we've seen over the long range," Campbell said. He adds that Environment Canada's seasonal forecast for B.C. calls for an increasing chance of a warmer summer, and there's a possibility that drier conditions could be present moving forward, particularly in the Okanagan and the Kootenay regions. Neill says the province is monitoring streamflow levels and will only issue temporary protection orders "as a very last resort," and voluntary water conservation efforts are not enough. "Though we cannot control drought, we do know that early action will make a big difference when it comes to water scarcity impacts or the amount of water available for ecological and human needs," Neill says. "And that's why we always begin with a voluntary approach. "My message to all of those people [with high residential water usage] is that what you do makes a significant difference to the amount of water the whole community has, and we have to remember that we have share our water not with other residents but farmers, agriculture, industry, all of those things." The province is also introducing a new method for tracking drought, saying the changes are needed because the current drought index oversimplifies the conditions facing local regions. It says the new system addressing water scarcity aligns with drought measurements in other jurisdictions and allows for a more precise understanding of climate trends across the region. It will also measure different needs, including the drinking water supply, ecological health, fish population survival, food production and security.
CTV News
5 days ago
- Climate
- CTV News
B.C. facing more adverse drought conditions this year as warm, dry weather expected
Water, Land and Resource Stewardship Minister Randene Neill listens during an announcement about mining in the province, in Vancouver, on Monday, May 26, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck British Columbia's minister in charge of water is asking residents to do everything they can to conserve the resource in the coming weeks, as the province faces elevated drought conditions in the southern Interior. Randene Neill, the minister of water, land and resource stewardship, says they want people to think about saving water wherever possible, such as watering lawns less frequently and fixing leaky faucets, as up to 70 per cent of water is used in residences in some regions. The conservation drive comes as this year's drought season is expected to be more severe than last, despite the recent rainfall that temporarily alleviated parched conditions in some areas in the northeast. David Campbell, with the B.C. River Forecast Centre, says the province had only 79 per cent of its normal snowpack level by April, and the snow season ended a few weeks earlier than usual. He says the situation this year has been made worse by a warmer spring compared with last year, where a more gradual snow melt helped to alleviate drought conditions later in the year. The centre says that while recent rain has improved conditions near Fort Nelson in the northeast, the Nicola, Okanagan and other regions in the southern Interior are seeing worsening conditions and declining streamflow, with little rain in the forecast. 'While some of the recent rainfall has been beneficial, we really need to see much more sustained longer-term, on the order of months or even a season of wet weather, to really make up the deficit that we've seen over the long-range,' Campbell says. He adds that Environment Canada's seasonal forecast for B.C. calls for an increasing chance of a warmer summer and there's a possibility that drier conditions could be present moving forward, particularly in the Okanagan and the Kootenay regions. Neill says the province is monitoring streamflow levels and will only issue temporary protection orders 'as a very last resort' and voluntary water conservation efforts are not enough. 'Though we cannot control drought, we do know that early action will make a big difference when it comes to water scarcity impacts or the amount of water available for ecological and human needs,' Neill says. 'And that's why we always begin with a voluntary approach. 'My message to all of those people (with high residential water usage) is that what you do makes a significant difference to the amount of water the whole community has, and we have to remember that we have share our water not with other residents but farmers, agriculture, industry, all of those things.' The province is also introducing a new method for tracking drought, saying the changes are needed because the current drought index oversimplifies the conditions facing local regions. It says the new system addressing water scarcity aligns with drought measurements in other jurisdictions and allows for a more precise understanding of climate trends across the region. It will also measure different needs, including the drinking water supply, ecological health, fish population survival, food production and security. This report by Chuck Chiang, The Canadian Press, was first published July 14, 2025.
CTV News
09-07-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Deadly Texas flood raises protection concern in B.C.
During the massive floods that struck B.C. in November 2021, Merritt's most recent flood map was decades old. The deadly flash floods in Texas are prompting questions about flood mitigation methods north of the border. Ryan Ness of the Canadian Climate Institute shared his concern with CTV News on Tuesday and believes there must be more investment in flood mapping, infrastructure and early warning systems. 'Canada has a patchwork of flood forecasting and warning systems,' said Ness via Zoom. 'There is no unified national framework.' He went on to say that some provinces and territories have more refined and effective systems than others. In British Columbia, he said, the system is 'pretty solid.' He explained that the province's centralized agency, the B.C. River Forecast Centre, provides continuous monitoring of river conditions and allows for information to be passed to authorities to alert the public. According to Ness, areas susceptible to flash flooding in B.C. are typically rural and natural areas with steep terrain, where water runoff can be accelerated, or areas with scorched soil from wildfires. 'There's no more vegetation to hold it together. The water runs off quickly and often brings mud and debris with it,' said Ness. Flash floods have struck across Canada over the past year, including Coquitlam, B.C., where an atmospheric river rain event triggered a mudslide that killed a teacher in October. Ness also questions whether flood mapping in B.C. needs to be improved and updated after flooding impacted communities across the province in 2021, including Merritt, which had a map that was decades old. Sean Strang is the director of flood recovery and mitigation for the City of Merritt. He says the old flood mapping showed between 110 and 130 houses or structures within the flood zone. The new one the city is working on shows 1,274. Nearly half of the community is now in the flood zone. According to Strang, the flood in 2021 was nearly double the strength the community was engineered for. After years of pre-planning, holding public discussions and speaking with neighbouring Indigenous communities to find a plan that works well for the entire valley, the city is now rebuilding stronger flood mitigation protections. 'I can see the light at the end of the tunnel,' said Strang. 'Are we at that light? Absolutely not. That's probably something that's going to be more like 2029 before this kind of capital program is built out.' Strang said the city is hoping that no severe weather event happens over the next four years, as officials are unsure their current protections are enough to withstand it. Strang says the province has provided $152 million since the 2021 flood. He says this makes up 70 per cent of the project cost and is urging the federal government to step up and help with more funding. The province told CTV News on Tuesday that atmospheric rivers in November 2021 and October 2024 heightened people's concerns about flood risks and highlighted the importance of flood preparation. The province wrote that it has been increasing preparedness and mitigation efforts precisely because of warnings from experts on flood hazards and the impacts of climate change. 'This includes more than $410 million in provincial funding for about 605 flood risk reduction projects since 2017 with First Nations and local governments,' the government's statement reads. The province went on to note that it launched a new B.C. Flood Strategy in 2024 to build flood preparedness and mitigation across the province from now to 2035. The B.C. government also provided details on regional flood hazard mapping in partnership with the federal government, writing that the mapping is focused on areas with flood risk and lacking adequate detailed flood hazard maps. 'These maps provide the foundation for effective flood risk reduction decisions by communities across B.C.,' the province said.
CBC
21-06-2025
- Climate
- CBC
Flood watches, streamflow advisories in place amid heavy rain in B.C. Interior
Officials have issued flood watches and high streamflow advisories for parts of northern B.C. and the Interior as rains and thunderstorms pass through the province. Environment Canada has issued a special weather statement warning of up to 40 mm of rain and embedded thunderstorms in the southern Interior through Saturday afternoon. Flood watches — which mean river levels are rising and could go over the top of banks — have been maintained for the Upper Columbia and East Kootenay regions in the east, as well as a portion of central B.C. Meanwhile, high streamflow advisories, which indicate that river levels are rising, are in place for regions stretching from the Peace in northern B.C. to the Similkameen in the south. "We're watching this pretty broad area, because it is a large precipitation event coming in, and it's coming from this unusual direction," said Natasha Cowie, a hydrologist with the B.C. River Forecast Centre. "It's a bit of an unusual storm because it's coming in from the eastern side, hitting the Rockies," she added. "So Alberta is probably going to get quite wet, and then some of that rain is going to make it on over to us as well." Alerts lifted as favourable weather helps B.C. wildfire fight It's hard to predict the exact areas where flooding could occur, as forecasters don't know exactly how much rain will fall, and how the ground will absorb it, Cowie said. "Use a lot of caution around rivers and streams, especially if you're out with children or with pets," she said. "Just be aware that flows are probably going to be pretty high. There could be a lot of debris in the water." Environment Canada said showers will be widespread Saturday in the southern Interior, and thunderstorms will further increase precipitation rates. A severe thunderstorm watch was issued for the South Thompson region, including Kamloops, just before 11 a.m. PT. Jane Cook, a fire information officer with the B.C. Wildfire Service, said the rainfall was good news and is helping bring down fire danger in the province. She added, however, that the thunderstorms in the southern half of the province could lead to wind gusts of up to 70 km/h. "Although this precipitation can bring a reprieve from that elevated fire activity, [in] regions that are receiving heavy rainfall, particularly those that have been experiencing prolonged drought, it brings the potential for moderate flood hazard to emerge," she said. Cook said that firefighting personnel were on standby in case they needed to assist with flood support this weekend.
CTV News
21-06-2025
- Climate
- CTV News
Flood watches, high streamflow advisories in effect in B.C. Interior
The B.C. River Forecast Centre's map of flood watches (orange) and high streamflow advisories (yellow) is shown on Saturday, June 21, 2025. The B.C. River Forecast Centre is maintaining flood watches for several regions in the Interior and adding high streamflow advisories for several others. In the centre's latest update Friday, new high streamflow advisories were issued for the Upper Fraser River, the South Thompson and Nicola regions and the West Kootenay, Okanagan and Similkameen regions. Those are in addition to existing high streamflow advisories for the Peace Region, including areas around Hudson's Hope, Chetwynd, Tumbler Ridge, Dawson Creek and Fort St. John. A high streamflow advisory indicates that 'river levels are rising or expected to rise rapidly, but that no major flooding is expected,' according to the river forecast centre. Flood watches – which mean 'river levels are rising and will approach or may exceed bankfull' – remain in effect for the Upper Columbia River and its tributaries, as well as the East Kootenay region, 'Middle Fraser/Chilcotin region tributaries draining from the Coast Mountains east of Lillooet and Williams Lake,' and the Homathko River. The additional advisories come amid 'an unsettled low-pressure system' that is expected to bring 'wraparound precipitation from Alberta' to the B.C. Interior through Sunday, the river forecast centre said in its update. Special weather statements were in effect across much of the Southern Interior Saturday, with Environment and Climate Change Canada warning of 'moderate to heavy showers with embedded thunderstorms' across the Okanagan and Fraser Canyon regions. The river forecast centre says the weather pattern will create the potential for 'enhanced upslope rainfall on the eastern slopes' of B.C. mountain ranges, which are typically dryer than the western sides. River flows were expected to begin rising Friday and to peak 'Saturday into Sunday,' the forecast centre said. 'Current hydrological modelling indicates the possibility of flows reaching or exceeding the five-year to 20-year return period range in areas receiving the highest rainfall totals,' the centre's update reads. 'Uncertainty remains high for rainfall amounts and locations from now through the weekend. If rainfall totals reach or exceed the high-end scenario of current weather modelling, flows greater than the 20-year return period could be possible.'
