Calgary hit with flash floods from heavy rain

Heavy rain that passed over Calgary created flash floods in neighbourhoods still recovering from recent damage.

The rain from the severe thunderstorm has subsided, but water is still sitting in some areas.

"We expect this will drain quickly when rain stops," tweeted Calgary Mayor Naheed Nenshi.

Emergency crews responded to flooding around the city, including in Sunnyside, where many homes were evacuated when the Bow River spilled its banks June 20.

Others areas affected include Victoria Park, Mission and other parts of Calgary's Beltline.

Traffic in many areas of the city had also come to a crawl because of huge puddles of water pooling on busy Calgary roads and underpasses.

Parts of Memorial Drive and Blackfoot Trail had been closed, but have since reopened.

While not as bad as the recent flooding that hit the city, the water is still causing headaches for many Calgarians. There are reports of water seeping into some basements in Sunnyside, but firefighters are on scene helping residents pump water and clear debris from storm sewers. 

"Residents living in low lying areas have been through a very difficult time these past two weeks and we are doing everything we can to address their concerns as quickly as possible," said Dan Limacher, director of water services.

Water has nowhere to go

Officials say the rainfall combined with saturated soils in low-lying areas adjacent to the Bow River was the reason for localized flooding in neighbourhoods and on roads.

"Residents experiencing collections of water are asked to please use caution and reminded to not attempt to drive through pools of standing water" because it may be hard to tell how deep the pools are, the city said in a release.

"If you are experiencing water issues in your home related to this evening’s rainfall, please call 311."

The city's water services is also monitoring the flow of both the Elbow and Bow rivers.

"While water flows do remain high, they are stable," said Limacher. "The Bow River’s water flow is currently 410 cubic metres per second — similar to what it has been the last several days and is expected to remain for at least a couple of days yet."

The rivers reached record levels just two weeks ago causing massive flooding that damaged many buildings and infrastructure, especially in riverside communities, and forced roughly 100,000 Calgarians from their homes.

CBC weather specialist Jodi Hughes says the city will see rain on and off for the remainder of the evening.

"We may see a similar pattern tomorrow," she said.

No weather warnings or watches are currently in effect for the City of Calgary.

While the weather is causing problems around the city, the Calgary Stampede buckled down through the rain. There was a temporary delay to prepare the track, but the chuckwagon races continued as planned in tonight's Rangeland Derby.