The region is already in a drought
Photo: Agriculture Canada
Light rain in Thompson-Okanagan this spring means drought conditions continue in the region.
Agriculture Canada says British Columbia’s interior continues to experience a drying trend with minimal changes in the overall land picture over the past month.
At the end of the summer last year in Okanagan, as well as in the southern part of the Kutenai border, conditions of “extreme drought” were reported, which are usually observed only once every 50 years.
Federal Drought Monitoring says the area received “enough moisture” in the fall, which improved D4’s “extreme drought” conditions tested last summer. But the dryness has reappeared in the last three months.
The driest conditions remain in Okanagan, which is on D1 “moderate drought” as of April 30.
The inland region of BC has received between 40 and 85 percent of normal rainfall since February.
Much of the province of British Columbia had lower temperatures this month, up to three degrees lower than normal.
“Additional pockets in unusually dry conditions have also emerged in central BC due to limited short-term humidity and reports of low surface water levels,” the report said.
Looking ahead, the rest of the spring is expected to be colder than usual, while the first few months of summer will be warmer, expected to be hotter than usual, according to Environment Canada.
The British Columbia Fire Service noted the dry conditions and said significant rainfall was needed in June to avoid a difficult fire season. Kelowna has just announced the third driest April in history.
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