Wet and mild winter is 'good news' for B.C. wildfire season, says forecaster

Hotter, drier summers have become the norm in B.C., and this year, that trend is projected to continue. Rob Buffam explains.

VICTORIA — The lead forecaster for the BC Wildfire Service says a relatively wet and mild winter across much of British Columbia is “really good news” for the upcoming wildfire season.

Matt MacDonald says a lack of frost meant trees and soil were able to soak up moisture, and the wildfire outlook for spring is “near normal, if not below normal.”

But the variability of the snowpack across the province is raising some concern, with McDonald saying the lack of snow on the bottom of some valleys is “going to be a key component to keep an eye on.”

He was speaking during an update from the government on B.C.’s seasonal emergency preparedness, including warnings that although the average snowpack across the province sits at 92 per cent of normal, high variability means some areas face drought risk, while others face the prospect of flooding.

The snowpack is low for Vancouver Island, the South Coast and the southern Interior, which all could be vulnerable to water shortages and drought, the government says.

But Randene Neill, Minister of Land, Water and Resource Management, says other areas including the upper Fraser, the Nechako region, the Central Coast and the Kootenays face a higher risk of flooding, because their snowpack has been steady or rising.

She called the 92-per-cent average snowpack as of April 1 a “significant jump” compared to the same time last year, but pointed to the variability across various regions.

“So, no matter where you are in B.C., we will need to be mindful of conditions, depending on how the spring and this summer unfold,” she told the briefing on Thursday.

Neill said that while the provincial government relies heavily on local governments to ensure adequate water supplies, the province will occasionally step in to protect streams or rivers during critically low periods with temporary protection orders.

David Campbell, head of the BC River Forecast Centre, said the snowpack level is especially low in the Okanagan, with some sites recording historically low levels.

Forests Minister Ravi Parmar said the BC Wildfire Service is staffed up, having received a record 2,400 applications for seasonal firefighting jobs, on the top of the existing 600 permanent positions.

Parmar said the government has also invested in additional equipment and technology.

The province is preparing for wildfire season against the backdrop of a record deficit forecast of $13.1 billion.

Emergency Management Minister Kelly Greene said the government will spend what is necessary to keep people safe.

“That’s regardless of whether, it’s wildfire or flood or earthquake or tsunami,” she said.

This report by Wolfgang Depner of The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2026.