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Okanagan snowpack 206 per cent of normal, highest in 38 years

Click to play video: 'Kelowna’s local state of emergency; update on snowpack'
Kelowna’s local state of emergency; update on snowpack
Kelowna’s local state of emergency; update on snowpack – May 7, 2018

The snowpack in the Okanagan is now twice as big as normal.

It’s the highest observed snowpack for this time of year dating back to 1980, when officials started keeping records.

“It may or may not exceed the 1972 level, but it’s certainly among, if not the highest snow pack we’ve seen,” Dave Campbell, the River Forecast Centre’s spokesperson, said.

According to the latest snow survey and water supply bulletin, April temperatures were one to two degrees or more below normal for most of the B.C. Interior. Precipitation was much higher than normal.

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A high-pressure system in late April pushed temperatures up, leading to a significant melt of low- and mid-elevation snow.

The average for all snow measurements across the province is 168 per cent above normal, according to the report.

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Across the province, there are currently 17 local states of emergency, 187 homes under evacuation orders and 585 homes under an evacuation alert.

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