B.C. forecast for drought and wildfire is bleak, but don't panic yet, say officials

Andrew Kurjata · CBC News

· Posted: May 16, 2025 9:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

B.C. is already reporting immoderate areas of utmost drought, which could spell atrocious quality for the summertime ahead.

In the province's archetypal drought update of 2025, a fewer areas person been highlighted arsenic regions of concern, including the Fort Nelson, North Peace and East Peace regions which person been recorded arsenic having mean to terrible drought conditions.

Most of the state has yet to beryllium assessed but Vancouver Island is besides reported arsenic having level 3 drought conditions, connected a standard of zero to five.

Dave Campbell of the River Forecast Centre says portion conditions are not arsenic adust arsenic they were successful 2024, they are inactive concerning.

The northeast, successful particular, helium said is present entering its 3rd year of a multi-year drought wherever determination are "long-term precipitation deficits" that lend to unsafe conditions overall, specified arsenic wildfires.

Already, the state is battling multiple fires successful the country that person reemerged aft laying dormant implicit the wintertime months, a improvement that is aggravated by a deficiency of rainfall and snowfall and unfastened burning bans are successful spot successful parts of the northeast and Kamloops regions effectual noon Friday.

Fire probe expert Richard Carr of Natural Resources Canada says his agency's forecast shows the imaginable for yet different progressive wildfire play crossed Western Canada, though helium noted that galore parts of B.C. person seen much precipitation this twelvemonth than they did past year.

Forecast maps released by the bureau amusement the imaginable for a peculiarly unsafe occurrence play successful July and August, with parts of southwest B.C. marked successful reddish owed to elevated risk.

Carr cautioned, though, that it tin alteration rapidly depending connected what benignant of upwind occurs successful the months ahead.

"It's not genuinely alarming astatine the contiguous clip but really, it depends connected however overmuch rainfall we get done June and the summer," helium said. "It if turns retired similar 2017 oregon 2018 then, you know, by July we could person reasonably adust conditions again and perchance progressive fires."