Severe localized flooding south and east of Edmonton after a weekend of heavy rainfall caused property damage, forced evacuations and strained emergency response efforts in the town of Tofield, Alta.
An intense weather system dumped widespread, heavy rainfall to parts of northern and central Alberta over the weekend, falling faster than many municipal drainage systems could handle.
Environment Canada says more than 100 mm of rain fell in the Beaver County area during the storm, including 140 mm at the nearby Elk Island National Park.
The Beaver Emergency Services Commission issued a overland flood alert on Sunday night as the deluge pushed the Tofield’s wastewater system over capacity.
On Monday, Mayor Andrew Hall said crews have been working around the clock to manage rising water levels in the community of about 2,100 people.
“We have water pumps running. We have a fleet of vac trucks being called in,” Hall said.
He urged residents to curb non-essential water use, such as doing laundry or running the dishwasher as well as limiting showers, to avoid overwhelming the drainage system.
“We are OK, but it is at its max. If we are not careful, we will push it beyond that,” Hall said.
As of Monday morning, Tofield was among several areas in Alberta under a flood alert.
Rainwater has inundated major roads, turning streets into rivers and forcing some drivers to turn around or attempt to navigate through deep water.
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“I’ve spent the past two nights pumping out my sister’s basement,” said resident Ian Hanson.
“I’ve never seen this much water here in my entire life.”
Several basements have been damaged, including at the Beaver Hill Motel, where guests were forced to leave and seek shelter at the Tofield Community Hall.
Businesses have also been affected. At Tofield Packers, operations inside the shop appear normal, but access to the building has been cut off by the lake that now fills the parking lot.
“It’s a lot of water with nowhere to go,” said co-owner Jill Lungal.
On Monday morning, a large pool of water encircled the butcher shop, which Lungal runs with her father, Dale Erickson. The pair say they have seen flooding during their 31 years in business, but nothing of this magnitude.
“The water was not this high last night. We thought we’d be OK,” Lungal said. “We had 10 feet before the sidewalk — it obviously rose.”
Despite the disruption, the owners say the interior of the store has so far avoided damage.
Erickson tried to keep spirits up amid the situation.
“Everything is fine,” he joked.
“I’m desperately trying to sell this to my daughter as lakefront property.”
Tofield is about 50 km southeast of Edmonton.
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.
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