June 6, 2022
River Updates
The Nation is closely tracking the river levels and the alpine snowpack. The Tenquille Lake Snow Gauge is showing that there is still more snow in the mountains right now than at any point last year. Typically snowmelt starts in mid April, however this years snowmelt did not start until the last week of May, a month and a half later than usual. Now that the snowmelt has started both the Lillooet and Birkenhead Rivers will have elevated flows. The risk of flooding this spring comes down to how the weather plays out. If it warms up quickly there is a risk of flooding with the worst case scenario being another heat-dome type event as we had last year.
The current conditions for the Birkenhead and Lillooet Rivers are typical for this time of year now that snowmelt has started. The difference is that they will be maintaining these high flows for another month or so. This is a concern for Lillooet Lake as it will fill quickly with both rivers flowing this high for this long. The Nation is keeping a close eye on conditions and will provide updates throughout the melt season.
To view the current streamflow conditions visit the BC River Forecast by CLICKING HERE
To view the current Automated snow weather visit the Snow Survey Statins by CLICKING HERE