The following three forecasts are given for an approximation of the weather over the 480km stretch of Highway 20 Williams Lake to Bella Coola. We now have a web cam at the highway's works yard just outside of Anahim Lake looking toward Bella Coola at Anahim Lake Web Cam.

The three weather forecasts re intended to give you an approximation of ather overthe 480 km stretch of Highway from Williams Lake to Bella Coola. Weather on the Chilcotin Plateau can be wildly varied. Several small ranges and the huge Coastal Mountain Range can cause many localized weather effects. While Puntzi Moutain has its own weather mapping station, and has long been used by national agencies, it has very distinct weather all its own and is rarely a reliable standard for the rest of the Plateau. In fact, in winter, Puntzi often reports the lowest temperature of the nation. As a result, most people in the area try to combine the weather of three different areas to approximate what the weather will do here.
Traditionally, the region had very cold winters and cool summers, with fairly low precipitation over most of the area. 60 degrees F below in winter was not uncommon. However, like most of the world over, our weather is changing and winters are much milder, with warmer summers. Winter does not normally bring much more than a couple of feet of snow on the flats, and we usually enjoy clear, sunny skies. There have been exceptions, however. In the '70s there was a 3' snowfall in 24 hours and in November of 1990 there was a 4' snowfall in 24 hours, but this is a rare occurrance. Most homes in the area are built with large windows facing the south and large roof overhangs. You can take advantage of passive solar heating in winter when the sun is low in the sky, and keep your house cool in summer when the sun is high overhead.
The last couple of summers have been hot and dry, hence a fairly serious forest fire problem. The Chilko fire in 2003 was the largest in BC and was occurring while the Kelowna fires were burning. The Lonesome Lake fire just a few miles from Anahim and Nimpo Lakes was the largest fire in BC in 2004.
Overall, summer temperatures don't usually go much above 80F or +25C and nights cool off nicely with frost and northern lights in the middle of summer not being uncommon. Winter days range anywhere from -5F or -20C at night and often above freezing during the day, which make for extremely pleasant conditions for winter activities.
I am writing this page on February 9, 2005 and the day is the perfect example of a typically glorious winter day. It is just under freezing in the shade, +8C or 45F in the sun, the skies are clear with high wispy cloud and the snow covered mountains stand out crisply against their blue backdrop. In the last few days I've seen three young moose crossing Nimpo Lake, the belly flop tracks of two otters that were having a high old time sliding on the ice, and a small herd of caribou. So come join us in our winter wonderland for cross country skiing, hiking, snowmobiling, and more. Come here during summer where you can explore the high alpine, canoe our serene lakes or latch onto a great native Rainbow Trout, or arrive in autumn where everything is clothed in a bright splash of fall color and the possibilites for your vacation are endless.


Follow the links, and see what the West Chilcotin is really like!