Drought conditions near Fort Nelson have improved dramatically in the last two weeks. The region currently sits at drought level one. Compare that near the beginning of July, when the area was listed at level 5.
On July 7, a Meteorologist with Environment Canada said, Fort Nelson was experiencing its worth drought on record since 1938.
Matt Loney said the area had the driest spring ever recorded but he added, it could see rain more regularly as the month of July progressed.
Natasha Cowie, River Forecast Hydrologist for BC River Forecast Center, said she is not entirely surprised to see the drought levels drop.
Cowie explained that the summer months should be the wet season in the Fort Nelson region. She said the change in levels has reflected what happened in the past 30 days.
“This is exactly what we would be expecting and hoping to see at this time of the year,” Cowie said.
Cowie said drought levels are based on physical aspects, including precipitation amounts, how much water is in rivers and lakes, and moisture in the soil. These levels are measured by stations across the province and are updated every Thursday.
She added that over the last 180 days, the Fort Nelson region has received 100 millimeters of rain below what it usually gets. But Cowie said, the precipitation during the month of July helped catch up to some of the deficits that the region is seeing.
“The weather station around the region have measured totals ranging from about 50, all the way up to 100 millimeters over the past 30 days,” Cowie said.
She mentioned that despite the wet conditions, Fort Nelson is still at risk of going back to extreme drought conditions, if the rain slows down. She said she would not be surprised to see the levels change again this Thursday.
