FILE PHOTO - Kelowna
(JOHN MCDONALD / iNFOnews.ca)
May 08, 2022 - 10:15 AM
A moderate drought is being felt from the South Okanagan to the Shuswap while abnormally dry conditions are occurring in the Thompson Nicola region.
“Conditions across the Pacific Region were mixed in April: areas along the coast received ample moisture while the Interior continued to experience a drying trend,” according to a report by Agriculture Canada.
Last month was the fourth driest April on record in Kelowna. Agriculture Canada reported the Interior region received anywhere from 40 to 85% of normal precipitation since February, with the driest conditions in the Okanagan.
“Because of this, and the drought that occurred last summer, moderate drought conditions expanded slightly. Additional pockets of abnormally dry conditions also emerged throughout central B.C. due to limited short-term moisture and reports of low surface water levels,” according to Agriculture Canada.
The 2021 fire season ended with elevated drought conditions in the far north, southeast, and central interior of B.C. Prolonged drought at the end of a fire season increases the potential for fire activity the following spring, according to the B.C. Wildfire Service, which is carefully monitoring the Kelowna, Kamloops and Cranbrook areas.
A high streamflow advisory is in effect for the Thompson River near Spences Bridge and a evacuation alert was issued earlier this week for Sicamous Creek Mobile Home Park properties due to a landslide risk. The properties are located near where Two Mile Creek wildfire burned last summer.
According to the Government of Canada’s Drought Outlook map, drought conditions are expected to end in the Thompson Okanagan by the end of this month.
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