The East Kootenay snowpack is at 72 per cent of normal, however, it remains much better at than it was at this point in the winter last season.
That mirrors the state of the provincial snowpack, which is also at 72 per cent of normal, which was 61 per cent of normal in Feb. 2023, according to the River Forecast Centre.
Precipitation was well below normal in several areas of the province, such as Cranbrook, Abbotsford, Penticton, Kelowna, Vernon and Chetwynd, all of which measured in the top 5 driest Januarys.
Adjacent to the East Kootenay, both the West Kootenay and Upper Columbia regions are also considered below normal, at 76 per cent of normal, and 71 per cent of normal, respectively.
Long term forecasts are predicting lower than normal seasonal temperatures from February to April throughout most of the province, except the northeast, according to Environment and Climate Change Canada.
"This is a considerable change compared to the previous forecast issued in late December 2024 which predicted seasonal temperatures above normal for January through March across the province," reads the February snowpack bulletin.
By early February, approximately two-thirds of the provincial snowpack has typically accumulated.
