Photo: B.C. River Forecast Centre

The Okanagan snowpack is at 94 per cent of normal, according to data released this week by the B.C. River Forecast Centre.

Data collected across B.C. on Jan. 1 puts the provincial average at 96 per cent.

Temperatures were generally above normal in October and November, but a dramatic shift in weather patterns in early December brought significant precipitation across much of the province, particularly the South Coast.

Snowpack levels currently range from a low of 61 per cent of normal in the Stikine, to a high of 109 per cent in the Upper Fraser West, Upper Fraser East and North Thompson, the River Centre says.

The Nicola basin is rated at 72 per cent of normal, while the Boundary and Similkameen areas are at 82 and 93 per cent, respectively.

"Early season snowpack was slow to develop this year, with near record low snowpack being observed at automated snow weather stations on Dec. 1," the centre says. "Rapid snow accumulation has occurred since mid-December in the wake of numerous storm events that have impacted the province. Much of the current snowpack has developed over the past four weeks."

A high likelihood of El Nino conditions is forecast through this winter and into spring, and the seasonal outlook from Environment Canada indicates an increased likelihood of warmer than normal temperatures.

By early January, nearly half of the annual B.C. snowpack has typically accumulated, the centre says.