Snow report shows water content reduced by wet weather

North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority
News Release

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The North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA) released the current snow pack information for the North Bay area today as part of their Flood Forecasting and Warning Program.

The water content within the region's snow pack has been significantly reduced due to last week's unseasonably warm weather. Between January 7th and January 9th, snow melt merged with approximately 66 mm of precipitation to increase flows in many area watercourses. In some instances, water levels reached embankments, resulting in a Flood Warning issued by the NBMCA for the City of North Bay on January 9th. While water levels have receded, the NBMCA reminds area residents that due to the recent rainfall, ice conditions have deteriorated and uniform ice thickness should not be assumed. The public is advised to use extreme caution near area waterbodies, especially near areas of flowing water.

The NBMCA will continue with its bi-weekly monitoring of the snow pack throughout the winter and spring of 2008.

Psychiatric Hospital

Current Average Snow Depth for January 15, 2008
15.4 cm (51 % of normal)

Current Average Water Equivalence for January 15, 2008
3.9 cm (59 % of normal)

Average Snow Depth for January 15, 2007
10.7 cm

Highest recorded snow depth for January 15 since 1988
72.4 cm in 1990

Lowest recorded snow depth for January 15 since 1988
0 cm in 1995

Corbeil Conservation Area

Current Average Snow Depth for January 15, 2008
24.4 cm (73 % of normal)

Current Average Water Equivalence for January 15, 2008
5.5 cm (101 % of normal)

Average Snow Depth for January 15, 2007
15.7 cm

Highest recorded snow depth for January 15 since 1987
61.7 cm in 1990

Lowest recorded snow depth for January 15 since 1987
12.4 cm in 1995

Shirley Skinner Conservation Area

The Shirley Skinner Conservation Area was added as an NBMCA snow monitoring station in 2007 in order to better understand the Wasi watershed and better represent the entire NBMCA jurisdiction. As the NBMCA has less than five years worth of data at this location, no comparisons can be calculated at this time.

Current Average Snow Depth for January 15, 2008
21.8 cm

Current Average Water Equivalence for January 15, 2008
5.7 cm

Average Snow Depth for January 15, 2007
15.5 cm



The North Bay-Mattawa Conservation Authority (NBMCA) was founded in 1972 by the Province of Ontario and the NBMCA's 10 member municipalities. A non-profit organization, the NBMCA works closely with the public to ensure the environmental health of the region's watershed. The NBMCA is one of 36 Conservation Authorities who are members of Conservation Ontario.

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