â–ş Listen Live
â–ş Listen Live

Recent rain cools off wildfire risk in Northern BC

A cooler start to Spring as well as consistent rain through the start of May is helping reduce the risk of wildfire hazard throughout Northern BC.

“Part of that comes in with both the accumulated over-Winter precipitation, which kind of refills the moisture in all of the available fuels, but also keeps that ground layer of forest fuels high in moisture content,” said Sharon Nickel, BC Wildfire Service Communications Specialist.

“With everything being wetter, it’s harder to ignite, and therefore harder for fire to spread if one were to ignite.”

Nickel added that we’ve received above normal levels of precipitation in the North so far.

“We are expecting the cooler than normal temperatures to continue through May, but some of the levels we’ve had in the North, particularly up as far as Fort Nelson, we’ve seen almost 150-200% of the typical snowpack.”

Between April 1st and 28th, Nickel says we’ve had 74 wildfires across the province, close to the five-year average of 79. Just six have been in the Prince George Fire Centre.

Despite nearly matching the average, she added that only around 309 hectares have been burnt this year, compared to the five-year average of 656.

Nickel says the outlook for this year so far is that we’re expecting a cooler than normal Summer, but notes that the historical skill of long-range temperature forecast is between 50-70%.

“It is still early to see how the forecast will turn out for the fire season, right now there are no current signs of another heat dome coming, but that can’t be completely ruled out.”

 

 

Something going on in the Prince George area you think people should know about?
Send us a news tip by emailing [email protected].

Darin Bain
Darin Bain
Darin is a news reporter for Vista Radio's Prince George stations. His career started in the Cariboo in 2020, working as a News Reporter in both 100 Mile House and Williams Lake before making the move to Prince George in late 2021.

Continue Reading

cjci Now playing play

cirx Now playing play

- Advertisement -

Related Articles

<p>

- Advertisement -
</p>

Latest News

Local cyclist says hit and run highlights the danger riders encounter on regular basis

One suspect who was driving a black dodge 1500 truck was taken into custody. The Tour de North rides is scheduled for September 12th to 18th consisting of an 850-kilometre journey from PG to Prince Rupert raising money for childhood cancer research.

Website refresh surfaces more of your important local stories

Regular visitors to this website will have noticed some changes to the home page and other templates in recent days.

City launching update for Active Transportation Plan

The City of Prince George is launching an update to its Active Transportation Plan, and is inviting feedback from residents. According to the City, the updated plan will guide the development of infrastructure and programs which support safer, more accessible, and more convenient travel options for people of all ages and abilities. 

RCMP looking to identify suspects in repeated vandalism investigation

The Prince George RCMP are looking to identify suspects in an investigation into repeated vandalism at a residence on the 100-block of McQueen Crescent. According to police, the initial investigation began in late May, when unidentified suspects threw a rock through the front window of the home, and spray painted the front with orange spray paint.
- Advertisement -