Mount Washington Closing Runs Due To Heavy Snow Melt

Mount Washington has been closing runs due to three atmospheric rivers melting snow too rapidly.

On Monday alone, BC Hydro recorded 110 mm of rainfall in the North Island watershed.

According to spokesperson Stephen Watson, that’s basically a firehose releasing 1300 cubic metres of water per second into rivers and reservoirs, with a force equivalent to two Olympic-sized swimming pools emptying into it every two seconds.

But Watson said even more water is coming from melting snowpack that the Island needs during the hot, dry summer months.

Watson says that atmospheric rivers aren’t great because they’re subtropical bases, and they bring warm temperatures, so the snowpack was already well below normal.  It’s around 50 to 60 per cent of normal for this time of year.

That number is expected to melt away further with the arrival of another atmospheric river today. However, experts insist there’s still hope, as snowpack typically peaks on the coast in April.

Officials are urging people to stay well back from fast-moving rivers and creeks as the snowmelt and rainfall continue.