Flood watch in effect near Kelowna as rain, thunderstorms persist in B.C.
Flows on Mission Creek increased rapidly overnight and will keep rising, forecasters say
The River Forecast Centre has issued another flood watch as heavy rains swell a waterway that winds through parts of Kelowna, B.C.
The centre said flows on Mission Creek increased rapidly overnight and will continue to rise through Tuesday, depending on the amount of additional rainfall. One woman was swept away by the fast-flowing creek in June after it had overflowed its banks.
High streamflow advisories remain in place for many other rivers and streams across southern and southeastern B.C. after as much as 35 millimetres of rain fell in the last day.
Thundershowers and downpours are forecast across the southern Interior and Kootenay regions, but the centre said river level estimates are challenging because the location and intensity of rainfall is hard to predict.
The River Forecast Centre has UPGRADED to a Flood Watch for Mission Creek. More info & map: <a href="https://t.co/0CYJQ6Jcnx">https://t.co/0CYJQ6Jcnx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/BCFlood?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#BCFlood</a>
—@EmergencyInfoBCEnvironment Canada has issued a severe thunderstorm watch for much of south-central B.C., including the Nicola, Okanagan Valley, Shuswap and Boundary regions.
The expected storms prompted the District of Sicamous to issue its fourth evacuation alert since May for the Sicamous Creek Mobile Home Park, where 27 properties could be affected by mudflows from an unstable hillside above the homes.
Elsewhere, the River Forecast Centre replaced a flood watch for the upper Fraser River with a high streamflow advisory as conditions around Prince George ease. Watches are still posted for the Nechako, Thompson and South Thompson rivers, while a flood warning is still up for the Quesnel River east of Williams Lake.
A flood warning is the most serious in a three-tiered alert system used by the forecast centre and means flooding is expected.
A flood watch, on the other hand, means that river levels are rising and flooding might occur. The high streamflow advisory is the lowest of the three levels issued by the River Forecast Centre.
In addition to the flood advisories, a heat warning has been issued for the Watson Lake region in northern B.C. Forecasters said temperatures could reach 28 C on Monday, with overnight lows of 13 C.