Snowpack levels in most of the Kamloops area are modestly above normal.

The BC River Forecast Centre has released its first snowpack bulletin of the year, showing the South Thompson is 13 per cent above normal while the North Thompson is one per cent above normal.

For nearby areas, the Upper Columbia region has the highest January snowpack in the past seven years, at 19 per cent above normal. And the Middle Fraser region is at seven per cent below normal, which is the lowest among all snow basins in the B.C.

“It is important to remember that there are fewer manual snow surveys completed for Jan. 1 compared to upcoming bulletins. In some cases, a regional snow basin index is calculated from only one snow measurement; therefore, it may not be indicative of conditions across the entire watershed,” the bulletin explains.

On average, B.C. has a snowpack of eight per cent higher than normal for this time of year.

The BC River Forecast Centre uses snowpack conditions as an indicator of potential flood or drought conditions during the spring snowmelt, especially closer to springtime.

Hydrologists say in a typical year, close to half of the total alpine snowfall has accumulated by early January.

According to today’s snowpack bulletin, forecasters are calling for warmer-than-normal temperatures between January and March and more precipitation than normal for the southern half of the province.

(Feature Photo: Twitter: @susanmark3000)