The B.C. government has published its final Drought and Water Scarcity Bulletin for 2026, with data through Oct. 29.
The report shows east and west Vancouver Island and the Sunshine Coast are at Level 2 on the province’s drought scale. Level 5 is the most severe.
In the previous bulletin, east Vancouver Island was at Level 2, while the Sunshine Coast was at Level 1 and west Vancouver Island was at Level 0, indicating normal or wetter-than-normal conditions.
The report says water-scarcity risks to aquatic ecosystems remain in smaller streams and tributaries, although flows in larger rivers may be normal.
Stage 3 water restrictions remain in place in several communities on southeast Vancouver Island.
The report also warns the Arrowsmith Reservoir near Parksville may face increasing challenges meeting both community water-supply needs and the needs of aquatic ecosystems without significant rainfall.
Forecasters say drought conditions are not expected to improve in the near term, with cooler temperatures and below-normal precipitation in the forecast.
The province will begin publishing its snow survey and water supply bulletins in January, providing an early indication of drought risks in 2027.
In its summary of the 2026 drought season, the province said “hydrological drought conditions varied widely across the province,” with wetter conditions in the northeast compared with severe dryness in the southern Interior.
“A wetter winter was followed by a rapid return to low flows and drought by summer,” the report said.
The report also noted the South Coast had a low snowpack heading into spring, followed by an early melt.
It added that summer was generally warmer and drier than normal, contributing to sustained drought conditions on the South Coast.
“Late-summer and early-fall storms provided localized relief, but impacts were limited and early fall remained relatively dry across much of the province,” the report said.
Click here to view the report.
