Only 5 of the higher elevation snowpack has melted
Officials dealing with flooding in the Okanagan have been warning we could be stuck with high stream flows and high lake levels until the end of June – and one of the main reasons is a deep snowpack.
Dave Campbell, at the BC River Forecast Centre, says because the higher elevation snowpack is still basically intact – streams like Mission Creek could be roaring for some time.
Campbell says at mid-elevations – 1400 to 1600 metres – half of the snow has melted, but "when we look at higher elevations, we'd be lucky if 5-percent of the snow has melted, which is at the headwaters of Mission Creek at around 1700 metres, so it's quite a strong transition from no snow to tons of snow," he says.
As for Okanagan Lake, Campbell says it'll remain high for sometime because it's such a large system and is slower to fill and slower to drain.
