Get out the rainboots: Waterlogged Yellowknife has one of the wettest June days in its history
Alex Brockman | CBC News | Posted: June 12, 2018 7:16 PM | Last Updated: June 12, 2018
Rain gets through leaky roof at city hall, creates deep potholes on Franklin Avenue
Yellowknife is soaked after one of the rainiest June days since records on rainfall started being collected.
Environment Canada reports that 32.6 millimetres of rain fell at the Yellowknife airport Monday — roughly four times as much as the previous June 11 record of seven millimetres set in 1998, and just a millimetre shy of the all-time daily record rainfall from 1967.
Things generally ran smoothly Monday, with no reports of widespread flooding. But the rain did leak through the roof of Yellowknife's city hall.
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Staff used buckets to collect the rain and covered electrical equipment with plastic in an attempt to keep things dry. On Tuesday, a number of staff were working at different desks or using a different phone while their workspaces were cleaned up.
"It's still business as usual, however it might be a little different," said Kerry Penney, the city's communications director. "You can still pay your bills, pay your tickets, speak to someone if you need to. But it might just take a little more time."
This isn't the first time heavy rains caused leaks at city hall. Water came through the roof during a similar heavy rainstorm last August. It's not clear how the water got into city hall Monday, Penney said.
This morning, crews were also out regrading the gravel surface on Franklin Avenue between Old Airport Road and Forrest Drive. The road was temporarily closed Monday due to deep potholes caused by the pooling water.
There's more rain in the forecast for the rest of the week. Tuesday's rain showers should generally taper off in the evening, but there are more showers and thunderstorms in the forecast for Wednesday.