The provincial government's River Forecast Centre is predicting runoff into the Fraser River to reach 127 per cent of normal at Shelley as a result of a significantly higher-than-normal snowpack in the Upper Fraser watershed.
That's up from 115 per cent predicted last month. In the interim, the snowpack rose to 142 per cent of normal from 137 seen April 1.
Temperatures through April were generally 0.5 C to 2 C lower than normal in the Interior.
"The combination of cooler and unsettled weather at the end of April has led to a delay in the
onset of the snow melt season and increased snow water equivalents in many regions," the Centre said in its latest bulletin.
But that trend is expected to end as Environment Canada is forecasting an increased chance of above-normal temperatures through most of B.C.
The Upper Fraser's snowpack level is still lower than that seen in 2012 when it struck 152 per cent. As well, the snowpack was at 148 per cent in the Nechako watershed, compared to just 81 per cent this season.
Those levels in 2012 led to significant flooding, particularly in the Paddlewheel Park-Farrell Street area.
