The Edmonton region received more rain this past weekend than the area typically gets in the entire month of June — and more precipitation is in the forecast.
On average, Edmonton receives 69.9 mm of rain in June. As of Monday afternoon, Environment Canada had recorded 102 mm of rain in the core of the city and 78 mm out at the Edmonton International Airport, after the rain began falling Saturday.
It’s been a wet month: so far this June, Edmonton has recorded more than 189 mm of rain — the most in over 60 years.
The city is now tied with tied with 1965 for second-wettest June on record — and is expecting to surpass it before month’s end, as more rain is expected next weekend.
The June rainfall record is held by 1914, when 216.5 mm of rain was recorded in the city.
North Saskatchewan River flowing high, fast
The North Saskatchewan River is flowing high and fast after a weekend of relentless heavy rain.
As of noon, the river was flowing around 1,050 m³/s through Edmonton — about double the speed recorded 48 hours earlier. The river also rose about 1.5 metres over that time period.
Water levels may rise an additional 0.5 m before the river peaks late Monday or early Tuesday, Alberta Environment said in its advisory Monday afternoon.
A high streamflow advisory is in effect for the North Saskatchewan River and its tributaries between Rocky Mountain House and the Saskatchewan border.
Alberta Environment said water level increases of one to 1.5 metres are possible at various points along the North Saskatchewan, but as of Monday afternoon no river-related flooding was expected at this time.
Plenty of debris is being caught up in the strong current and high waters, including an entire dock with several boats still attached.
City of Edmonton heavy rain impacts
The rainfall has affected some City of Edmonton operations. Here is what is impacted, as of Monday afternoon:
Rec centres
The city said Monday afternoon the Peter Hemingway Aquatic Centre at the Coronation Park Sports and Recreation Centre is closed due to flooding. No other recreation and leisure centres are affected.
City fields, ball diamonds and turf maintenance
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City sports fields and ball diamonds are saturated with water and can’t be used after heavy rain, as damage may occur due to muddy conditions. The facilities are all currently closed and will reopen as they dry. The city said status changes will be posted on Facility Notifications by 2 p.m. on weekdays and 10 a.m. on weekends and holidays.
The heavy rain has also halted scheduled turf maintenance, including mowing. In addition to delays due to wet conditions, the city noted the rain will also lead to faster grass growth. Crews are being rescheduled to address unmowed turf as soon as possible, the city said.
Golf courses
Victoria and Riverside golf courses were open for play on Monday, but power carts were not available due to the soggy ground.
Rundle Golf Course was closed Monday and is expected to re-open June 23, weather permitting. Proshops and restaurants at all city courses remain open, however.
Trail and boat launch closures
All boat launches along the North Saskatchewan River are currently closed and the city has also closed the following low-lying trails in the river valley due to rising water levels:
• Highlands – Dawson Trail
• Capilano – Gold Bar Trail
• Emily Murphy – Kinsmen Trail
• River Loop Trail adjacent to Fort Edmonton Park
Construction impacts + gravel roads
The city said prolonged rainfall can affect construction work such as excavation, paving, concrete placement and earthworks, which may need to be postponed until site conditions improve. Crews are switching to other activities that are less weather-dependent where possible.
“While June has brought significant rainfall, there are currently no significant project setbacks or weather-related financial impacts to date,” the city said.
The city noted gravel roads can deteriorate rapidly when saturated, often developing soft sections, but conditions can improve just as quickly as roads dry.
Travelling on saturated gravel roads with heavy equipment can cause additional damage, so the city said its crews will wait until roads are sufficiently dry and firm before dispatching graders.
Mosquitos
Alas, the wet conditions are creating lots of pools of standing water, which are ideal breeding habitats for mosquitoes.
The city said that means in the coming days and weeks, Edmonton may see its highest mosquito population in years.
With the rain now subsiding, the city said it will resume its mosquito control spraying program.
Edmontonians are also encouraged to check their properties for standing water and remove it as soon as possible to help.
Emergency alerts as stormwater systems overwhelmed
The deluge on Saturday and Sunday forced several municipalities in the region, including the City of Edmonton, to issue emergency alerts as the heavy rainfall has pushed the region’s stormwater system to the brink.
Edmonton Mayor Andrew Knack is holding a news conference Monday afternoon to answer questions about the city’s water supply and the ongoing response to the heavy rainfall event.
“Thank you to everyone who has delayed laundry, shortened showers, reduced water use and taken other steps to help,” Knack said.
‘These actions matter, and help reduce the strain on the system at a critical time. I would also like to thank all the crews that have worked diligently over the weekend to ensure Edmontonians safety.”
Utilities provider Epcor said Monday with more rain in the forecast for the Edmonton area, the stormwater system remains under pressure.
It says it received more than 600 calls about flooding, adding that it continues to respond on priorities including public safety.
“It’s insane right now,” said Edmonton resident David Howard. “I saw pump trucks all over the city, just pumping water out of the sewers.”
Epcor said a rainfall event of this nature requires all kinds of equipment and with the amount received this weekend, pumps have been used to move stormwater to other parts of the system to balance capacity.
Epcor also said Monday that residents living near stormwater ponds should keep a distance as water levels continue to rise.
“These ponds are doing their most important job right now, collecting excess rainwater, slowing its entry into the system and improving the quality of water that will eventually enter the North Saskatchewan River,” Epcor said.
The emergency alert, issued Sunday evening, was one of seven to be sent out for areas near the city due to heavy rainfall over the past 24 hours.
That precipitation has pushed the region’s stormwater system to capacity, with localized flooding and backups being reported in neighbouring communities, the Alberta Emergency Alert said.
“If the stormwater system continues to operate over-capacity, flooding and sewer backups will continue to increase,” it added.
Authorities are advising residents to avoid unnecessary indoor water use, limit showers and baths, delay laundry and dishwasher use and ensure sump pumps and downspouts are functioning properly to direct water away from homes.
It’s unclear how long the alert will be in place for.
Other communities that issued alerts included Beaumont, Stony Plain, Tofield, Wabamun and parts of Lac Ste. Anne County.
St. Albert also issued an alert that was dropped Monday afternoon as their system had stabilized.
Rainfall totals
Environment Canada said an intense weather system brought widespread heavy rainfall to areas of northern and central Alberta on June 20 and 21, with localized flooding and sewer backups reported in the Edmonton area on Sunday.
The weather agency said lighter rain will continue Monday before the system weakens and pulls away from Alberta later in the day.
Storm total rainfall amounts as of 1 p.m., MDT, in millimetres:
Elk Island National Park: 140
Stony Plain: 126
Edmonton (city): 102
Edmonton (airport): 78
Villeneuve: 97
Barrhead: 89
Camrose: 70
Hendrickson Creek: 51
Edson: 49
Lacombe: 49
Vegreville: 45
Whitecourt: 44
Nordegg: 44
Red Deer: 42
Wainwright: 41
Lac La Biche: 35
Lloydminster: 34
Slave Lake: 29
Rocky Mountain House: 23
Environment Canada also released a summary of rainfall totals taken from third party sources such as CoCoRaHS, Social Media sources and Wunderground Weather station reports:
Stony Plain Area: 114-165
Onoway Area: 125-165
Spruce Grove Area: 159
Hay Lakes Area: 114-152
Warburg: 150
Bon Accord: 148
Elk Island Area: 95-144
Edmonton Area: 81-144
Smoky Lake: 140
Thorsby: 140
Leduc Area: 91-127
Alberta Beach: 125
Mundare: 100-113
Fort Saskatchewan: 106
Sherwood Park Area: 78-104
Edson Area: 100
Mulhurst: 98
Devon Area: 78-96
Camrose area: 63-96
Smoky Lake: 95
Kinsella: 81
With a file from The Canadian Press and Aaron D’Andrea, Global News
Surely report from a more vital area of the city than a race track.
Trudeau’s cloud seeding scheme is working as planned. The masses will blame this on ClimateChange™.
Liberals said this would no longer happen if we paid a carbon tax.
Like montreal and all other places like hamilton, theyll be pumping billions of liters of sewage into the n.sask. go get them fish guys. Nom nom nom
I thought waste water and storm sewers where seperate systems? Or has Edmonton done something stupid (again).
Or is this just another excuse to ration/limit water to the peasants.