The BC River Forecast Centre is out with a dire warning that says there is a “high-risk of provincewide drought” this summer.

This as the provincial snowpack was substantially below normal as of June 1, averaging 29 per cent of normal across the province. Its a sharp drop from just two weeks earlier on May 15, when the provincial snowpack was at 66 per cent of normal.

“The hottest May on record for B.C. generated extremely rapid melt of the provincial snow pack,” the River Forecast Centre said. “Many mid and high-elevation automated snow weather stations measured record low snow for June 1st or recorded the earliest snow free date of the season.”

“Several factors have generated high-risk of province-wide drought in summer 2023, including lingering effects of fall 2022 drought, unusually dry and warm conditions prevalent in winter 2022-23 and spring 2023, exceptionally rapid and early 2023 snowmelt, and high likelihood of above normal temperatures this summer.”

The dry conditions mean the risk of flooding due to snowmelt is largely over for the season as most rivers have hit their peaks. That said, there is the risk of flooding, especially in the B.C. Interior, if there are periods of very heavy rainfall.

As of June 1, the River Forecast Centre said the South Thompson basin was at 33 per cent of normal, down from 74 per cent, while the North Thompson basin was at 16 per cent, down from 61 per cent.

Hydrologist Jonathan Boyd joined NL Newsday to discuss the latest snowpack bulletin and what this means for the summer ahead.