The BC River Forecast Centre says people should be prepared for potential flooding in areas near Kamloops, with the snowpack at a 20-year-high.

Hydrologist Jonathan Boyd says as of March 1st, the South Thompson snowpack was 27 per cent above normal and the North Thompson was 23 per cent above.

“Right now it’s the highest it’s been in the last 20 years for both of those regions. Just a little bit lower than 1999, but it certainly puts a lot of areas at risk for flooding. And of course there’s still accumulation season to go, another four-to-eight weeks.”

Meanwhile, Boyd says the snowpack is 20 per cent above normal at the Deadman River west of Savona, 30 per cent above normal at Lac Le Jeune and 43 per cent above normal at Highland Valley.

Forecasters say any snowpack value that’s at least 20 per cent above normal puts the watersheds at risk of spring flooding.

“I would advise people to be preparing for potentially the worst case scenario, which would be a rapid melt. So if you’re near one of the major rivers or creeks, to start preparing now for what could happen starting in late April through to June or even July,” Boyd says.

The bulletin says current trends in the snowpack values province-wide are likely to continue, but says there could be increases or decreases, percentage-wise, in the coming months.

“Snow pack is one element of seasonal flood risk in B.C, however snowpack alone does not predict whether flooding will occur; spring weather is a critical factor determining the rate that snow melts, while extreme rainfall can also cause spring flooding independent of snow condition,” the forecast reads.

Meanwhile, the snowpack in the Nicola Valley is 12 per cent below normal.

Province-wide, the average snowpack is 11 per cent above normal, which forecasters say is moderately high. Snowpacks range from 16 per cent below normal in the Liard country of northern B.C. to 39 per cent above normal in the Skagit Valley, east of Hope.