(North Bay, Ontario, March 24, 2023) Snow depth is normal for this time of year, but much higher than this time last year (27.7 cm in 2022) according to the North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority which measures the snowpack as part of its flood forecasting program.
“The average snow depth for the three sites is 52.7 cm, a 5.7 cm decrease from the March 15 measurements, and the average water equivalence for the three sites is 171.0 mm, a 25.7 mm increase from last week,” said Angela Mills, NBMCA’s Water Resources Specialist.
“The snowpack is storing much more water than normal, with considerable increases at both Corbeil (up by 50mm) and North Bay (up by 35mm), while Chisholm decreased slightly (by 8mm). While the water stored on the landscape is high for this time of year, the risk of spring flooding depends on how fast it melts and is released to local waterways,” said Chitra Gowda, CAO, Secretary Treasurer.
NBMCA is now measuring the snowpack weekly, to monitor conditions leading up to and during the spring freshet. This is a supplementary survey so there will only be comparisons to last week’s measurements. The per cent normal data will be calculated for the next snow survey which takes place March 31.
Snow is measured for depth and water equivalence at three locations in the watershed.
North Bay Golf and Country Club (Chippewa Creek Watershed, North Bay)
*Data prior to Dec. 2011 collected at the former Northeast Mental Health Centre, Hwy 11
|
Current Average Snow Depth for March 23, 2023 |
56.8 cm |
|
Current Average Water Equivalence for March 23, 2023 |
195 mm |
Corbeil Conservation Area (La Vase River Watershed, Corbeil)
|
Current Average Snow Depth for March 23, 2023 |
50.8 cm |
|
Current Average Water Equivalence for March 23, 2023 |
164 mm |
Shirley Skinner Conservation Area (Kaibuskong River Watershed, Chisholm)
|
Current Average Snow Depth for March 23, 2023 |
50.6 cm |
|
Current Average Water Equivalence for March 23, 2023 |
154 mm |
The North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA) was founded in 1972 by the Province of Ontario and the NBMCA’s 10 member municipalities. NBMCA is one of 36 Conservation Authorities in Ontario responsible for watershed management on behalf of local municipalities, stakeholders, and the province.
The public can follow NBMCA on the web at nbmca.ca, on Twitter (@theNBMCA), Facebook (@theNBMCA) and Instagram (nbmcainfo).
For more information, contact:
Angela Mills, Water Resources Specialist, (705) 497-4668
Chitra Gowda, CAO, Secretary Treasurer (705) 474-5420