July 18, 2025
Since our last update, snowpack levels in the watershed have continued to decrease at all the monitoring stations and snowmelt is complete for the year, even at the high elevation station. As we have mentioned in earlier newsletters the snowpack has been below average this year, lower than reported in 2024. The timing of this year’s snow melt has also occurred earlier than average when compared to past years. As well, the spring weather has been both warm and relatively dry.
Consistent with the snowmelt pattern, Shuswap Lake water levels have continued to decrease at an almost constant rate since water levels peaked on June 14th. The lake level has dropped 1.2 m (almost 4 feet) since the middle of June.
The Provincial River Forecast Centre’s modelling also indicates that the lake level will continue to decrease over the next 10 days or longer. Thus, we can expect lower water levels than normal for this time of year well into August. As always, the wildcard will be with the trends in the weather, and specifically in any potential increases in precipitation across the watershed.
This will be our last update until the fall. SWOA will continue to monitor conditions and will post significant changes in the water level trends on the website.
Click here for real time hydrometric data graph.