Despite the rain and snow in the last three months, the province is still in a deficit when it comes to precipitation levels.

And an Environment Canada meteorologist says B.C. may be moving back into drier weather in the next few weeks.

Derek Lee told Black Press Media Thursday (Feb. 29) that the seasonal outlook for B.C. may be trending away from El Ni帽o conditions, which typically mean warmer winter temperatures in the province.

害羞草研究所淚 know we害羞草研究所檝e had some cold spells here and there in the Lower Mainland but if we look back at it, the winter temperatures are actually much warmer than normal.害羞草研究所�

But he said the weather conditions could be in the middle, between El Ni帽o and it害羞草研究所檚 colder counterpart, La Ni帽a.

Lee said from December through to February, B.C. was trending back to normal and wetter conditions. But because 2023 was such a deficit in terms of precipitation, 害羞草研究所渢he last three months isn害羞草研究所檛 really enough to put that water back into the ground.害羞草研究所�

He said it was in spring last year that B.C. first saw a major uptick in wildfires, as May had unprecedentedly warm temperatures that continued through all of summer.

B.C. is continuing to see the impacts of those dry conditions.

Half of the province害羞草研究所檚 32 water basins at adverse drought level conditions or higher. Northeast B.C. is seeing the worst drought levels where adverse impacts are almost certain.

害羞草研究所淭hat has been the driest probably in all the province last year 害羞草研究所� The drought conditions up there are one of the worst places in B.C.害羞草研究所�

With the continuing dry conditions come what BC Wildfire Service calls 害羞草研究所渉oldover害羞草研究所� wildfires. They害羞草研究所檙e fires that burn over winter, often underground, but can resurface during warm and dry temperatures.

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There are currently 90 active holdover fires and the majority are in the Prince George Fire Centre, which is in the northeast corner of the province and the largest of B.C.害羞草研究所檚 fire centres. BC Wildfire Service said in an emailed statement that the number of holdover wildfires is unsurprising given the widespread fire activity in 2023 and the ongoing drought conditions.

BC Wildfire Service said it couldn害羞草研究所檛 predict what the 2024 wildfire season could look like though.

Now a year-round operation, BC Wildfire Service studie forecasts, analyzes trends and accounts for conditions that affect soil, moisture, fine fuel dryness, vegetation growth and overall fuel availability. Snow pack levels are also another means of forecasting.

However, as of Feb. 1, B.C. was 39 per cent below normal snowpack levels, with the south coast and Vancouver Island experiencing the worst levels. The northeastern portion of the province is anywhere between 50 and 69 per cent of normal levels.

By the end of 2023, 2,245 wildfires burned nearly three million hectares throughout the province. It was a the most hectares burned in a wildfire in B.C.害羞草研究所檚 history.

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In the 2024 budget, B.C. promised $405 million for emergency management throughout the province, which included $175 million for wildfire response, recovery and infrastructure.

That funding includes:

害羞草研究所� $56 million for aviation preparedness and response with increased contract funding for helicopter and air tanker services

害羞草研究所� $60 million for the Forest Enhancement Society of BC, which does both community- and industry-focused wildfire risk reduction and fuel management

害羞草研究所� $38 million to support stable, year-round resourcing, including fire crew leaders and front-line staff that provide structure protection, prevention and risk reduction, and wildfire land-based recovery

害羞草研究所� $21 million for a new Prince George equipment depot

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