Active spring wildfire season may be in store for B.C. as drought persists
VANCOUVER — British Columbia needs a drenching of rain to alleviate the tinder dry conditions that have forecasters worried about the potential for another difficult wildfire season.
Cliff Chapman, director of operations for the BC Wildfire Service, said parts of the province need between 40 and 60 millimetres of rain over two weeks to return the parched ground to what he would consider a “neutral state.”
Chapman said at a public briefing on Monday that droughts across parts of the province continue and the snowpack is just 66 per cent of normal.
“It’s not so much about being concerned for us, it’s about being prepared,” he said. “That’s what we’re focused on.”